A daughter and a legend
by Kamen Rider Dimension
Summary: It started with the legendary serial killer and the tale for somebody's sake. Appearing before a librarian at his time of sadness, they threw him into an adventure no storybook could've ever prepared him for. Introduced to an entirely new world, Takumi finds himself in a fight for his life and even more, his tale evolving into a legend as grand as those around him.
1. Chapter 1 - the intro

**A warm welcome to those who knew me before and the new. For the old, you may notice that the chapter is a little bigger than I normally do: About double the size quite literally! they'll obviously be a bit slower to churn out, but I like the idea of something longer you can enjoy and seeing as I was considering some new stories, it seemed like the best time to implement them. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Upon the shoulders of giants, grow to heights never before seen Naruto! Titan of trees, make sure to take care of him!_

 _Tapio: Blessed with two daughters, the legendary serial killer and the tale for somebody's sake... Take care of those girls, for they will care for you._

 _Takumi: They look so fragile, but I can't ignore the potential brimming in their eyes... You know what I'm saying, right?_

 _Tapio: It is very much the same for Naruto. This will be a tale to remember._

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

He had merely been the one to run the local library. Surrounding himself with stories of all kinds, that was the sort of life he had chosen for himself and if he were to ever be asked what he thought of such a plain life without consequence, he would be all too happy to speak of how content he was with his life.

Perhaps with swept back brown hair, bright chocolate eyes brimming with intelligence behind the small rimless glasses and slim build, he could've found a different job acting or modelling; it would've been awkward at first, but there was a fair chance he could make it work. It certainly wasn't a case of education, for he had been one of the top of his classes when he graduated and practically moved into the library, some even saying that he never left thanks to all of the studying he did. He just never found anything else that could ever fill his heart as being in the library did. Nothing else screamed Takumi Yuu.

But perhaps the biggest reason for why he found himself working in the library was the atmosphere. Oh, how joyful it was to be surrounded by stories of all kinds! Thousands of words, hundreds of pages, all holding entire worlds for him to explore! Heroes and villains, adventurers, pirates, ninjas, ordinary civilians who were drawn into epic battles and those who trained for their whole lives to be brought onto the field, they all were there for him to embrace, to fall beside. With the stories around him, he could almost forget the real world, pretend that the horrors of the modern world weren't occurring and simply sink himself into paradise.

Even when the worlds weren't their best, they still held that intricate detail that made them far greater than the place around him. After all, in a world of bomb threats, terrorism in the name of misguided religion and bigots taking their place in the powers of the world, the idea of threats that were purely evil, that everyone jointly hated and wanted to be defeated, that was much more exciting because someone, somewhere, wanted those bigots in power. They cheered as the religious zealots blew themselves up and they laughed as innocents fell victim to the explosions. In the world of stories, there wasn't someone who wanted the villain to succeed.

And then there was the origin of these stories, how they thrilled Takumi's heart! Nursery rhymes were born to entertain the children, their morals and lessons hidden beneath cheerful tunes. Epics were told as a way to spread legends amongst the people, the heroes within embellished to be those who could defeat gods. Tales of wizardry were born to explain the unexplainable, the impossible made commonplace and the rumoured all but true. They all grew as they were shared, evolving far faster than humanity could ever hope to achieve and it fascinated the man's heart!

Takumi wasn't always like this in actual fact. Perhaps it had been just that lone single news he had received. The thought of that day made his mind burn, the man gripping his own navy jumper as he sat down at the front desk, the empty hall leaving him alone to his thoughts as sweaty palms soon moved to dark jeans. The doctors had been relatively gentle about it, but that did little to diminish the fact's pain.

He was infertile.

Not a single chance to have a child of his own. There was no easy access to an orphanage and without the ability to drive, it wasn't exactly going to be easy to get an adoption either, meaning he would be left childless for the rest of his life. It had been a pain to hear and it still stung him to this very day whenever he thought about it. Perhaps watching the children delighting themselves in the world of stories just as he loved to do filled the gap in his heart, replaced the lack of his own with someone else's child. The mothers and father that came in would often comment upon Takumi's skill with the children whenever they approached him, their wide smiles and questions easily answered by the brown haired librarian, but that merely made it hurt even more.

The man looked to his hand with a sigh; he had pulled out that old thing again. Takumi wondered why he still kept the goddamn thing in the first place, at least before he got his mind back in straight order. Pulling out the aged paper to its proper length, a stray finger traced the cursive upon the front, a small tale spoken in all but a few lines upon the tiny slip.

 _I do not like thee doctor Fell_

 _The reason why – I cannot tell_

 _But this I know, and know full well_

 _I do not like thee doctor Fell_

It wasn't what one would call a traditional nursery rhyme; it was ne born on mystery, on paranoia and slight fear. The idea that someone could be so normal and yet so terrifying without any telling facts was something that anyone would be a bit scared of; the fact that anyone even to the smallest innocent young girl could be one of the most horrifying beings you could ever encounter was bound to inspire paranoia in anyone and yet he treasured it more than any other. Clutching the slip of paper tightly, it was brought to a chest as a small whisper was brought to the wind.

"May one day bring me a daughter, one I may cherish with all of my heart."

And his words would be heard and granted, in the strangest of ways. An arm moved to shield his eyes as a great light filled the empty hall, books rattling in their places as a wind whipped through the empty library. How the place remained perfectly fine after such an extravagant show, Takumi could not say, but once the breeze had died down enough to a reasonable level, the man hesitantly drew the appendage away from his glasses, a small shocked gasp escaping him as the two before him looked in his direction.

"Are you our master?" the tandem in which they spoke was almost concerning, but Takumi paid that little mind as he looked to the people before him. How they could've come into the library was absolutely unquestionable, but that left only the improbable, the impossible. How had such a life come from the light in the most literal way possible? It was confusing, but it didn't seem to faze the two who came through, not at all. In fact, there was nothing to say that they hadn't been expecting such thing, merely looking to the books with a youthful intrigue.

The first to come under Takumi's gaze immediately had him wanting to draw it away, the young white haired girl appearing in clothes far too strange for one of her apparent age. Pink heels led to black leggings, two black holsters lined with blue dangling from her waistline. A small black top did little to hide the skin save for the small breasts, white hair dangling short above brown eyes. The girl immediately lifted her bandaged arms, the knives held within poised to strike at any moment; who let a young girl wield such a thing? Did she always have them or was she gifted them recently? She certainly looked ready to strike with those weapons of hers, far more ready for combat than the other girl she had arrived in the strange light with.

The other figure was just a small bit shorter, her cute little hat done entirely in black, pin appearing from under the ribbons that hung off of it. The dress she wore was far too gothic for what he would've expected a young girl to, if it hadn't had been for the strange little painting that covered it, a wonderful world detailed upon it. Frills of white appeared from beneath the black, fluff surrounding the end of her sleeves as black gloves clutched each other fearfully. She too had hair of white, but it fell down like a waterfall upon her back, purple eyes watching carefully before both spirits acknowledged the person behind them.

"Excuse me? Master?" Takumi parroted, the two girls sharing a look to one another as if they had yet to notice one another. How was Takumi to act in the face of such adorableness, the two girls tilting their heads in tandem as they merely looked to one another before a smile appeared upon their faces? It made the man want to laugh out loud at the sight, but considering how strange the situation he found himself in was, he remained just as flustered as he had been before. "Scrap that, where are your parents? Shouldn't you be off to your parents? The library is closed for the time being."

"Parents?" The second girl questioned, looking around the room with great interest until the innocent eyes turned back onto Takumi, a new phrase upon small lips. "I don't have any parents."

"Aren't you going to be my father?" the first then asked, stepping forward. The act made the knives upon her being far more noticeable, Takumi hoping the gulp that escaped him wasn't as obvious as he thought it was. A little girl carrying such dangerous weapons had to be a dangerous thing, but he didn't have the heart to take them off of her when she was asking that question. Did that mean they didn't have any parents? Were they orphans living off of the street? It would certainly explain just why they had such unusual wear; they probably just took whatever they could fit into from wherever they could, but it still didn't explain why and how they came through the light.

"Oh! Are you going to be our master and our father? I don't think I've had a master that was also my father!" the second girl cheered with a great applause, Takumi losing his will to object by the second. Here were two potential orphans who were cheering at the mere thought of having a parent right in front of him and no matter what sort of circumstances brought that about, it still was something he could not ignore. It wasn't as if Takumi was even still truly objecting to the idea either, thoughts of a dream come true echoing through his mind, all focused upon the two looking towards him with a bright smile upon their faces.

"Well, I suppose I can do so for now." Takumi relented. It would just be until he managed to find the time and money to get a taxi so they could find the nearest orphanage, just like a responsible person should. There was a great abstract joy to their rapid dash, the brown haired librarian unable to hold himself straight against the might of the two as he fell to the ground, a small prayer of relief sent to the fact that he managed to avoid the desk upon his descent. A small smile appeared upon his face as he gently returned the happy hug, his arms wrapping the two in a protective embrace as the weight was lifted upon the man's shoulders, Takumi happy to stay like that for just a bit longer.

It was the reason why he started cursing when he heard the first sounds of screaming outside.

Come on, he was staying in late _and_ he was having a happy moment! Couldn't they let Takumi have that at least!? Regardless, the brown haired man ignored the small moans of complaint that came from the little girls as he pushed them off of his body, walking to the door before a sudden realisation had him turning back with a warning upon his lips.

"I don't even know your names, do I?" the man remarked, a fist slamming down upon an open palm. "Well, just stay here until I get back and then maybe we can get some things sorted out, firstly names and how you got here, okay?" he waited for their slow hum of confusion before he stepped out through the front door, a small twist having the key lock them in. they would hopefully be able to entertain themselves with the books if he had to be out for a longer time than he expected, but he probably wouldn't be. It seemed like the noise came from the nearby park, Takumi quick on his feet as he began to move towards the source of the noise.

Kuoh was extremely quiet at this time. Coming up towards the night, the evening hues painted the sky a beautiful auburn that many pictured only in their dreams, the so called 'golden hour' where there was little that could match the sheer art of life on display. Normally, the only noise he could've heard would be people walking home, but the slight sounds of a scream he heard was far too alarming not to check out. It had done so that various forms of entertainment within the city were situated fairly close together, so it didn't take long for him to reach the park and find the incredibly strange sight that befell his eyes.

A black haired girl immediately became something far more demure, the clothes upon her body practically shredding themselves as the girl went through some sort of strange transformation. Takumi's yell joined the brown haired boy's screams, most likely the original source for the one that drew him here, as bright wings burst out of the girl's back, a sigh of relief as if keeping them hidden had been a terrible pai- what was a girl doing with bloody wings in the first place!? She was practically nude before his very eyes, the parts of Takumi's mind wanting to continue watching to see the result of this incredibly weird change wrestling furiously for the part who could only continue to repeat in its astonished monotone.

" _Dear god. She's bloody wearing nothing in public. Literally anyone could see this now."_

But then there was some odd looking dark liquid that seeped down onto her intimate parts, writhing and slithering about before it solidified into what could barely class as lingerie, the black thong and bra struggling to cover what they held behind their seemingly flimsy fabric. Her eyes casually turned onto Takumi, the librarian stepping back at the vicious smirk that burst onto the lady's face at him, the boy who had originally been there left only to gape in shock as the rest of the strange sentient fluid formed spiked shoulder pads and long gloves and boots, additional belt like fabric latching onto her breasts and forming chains upon her neck like a demented collar.

"Well I can't say that I didn't have fun messing about with you today my dear Issei." The woman quipped with the same vicious smile, clearly referring to the frightened boy in front of Takumi. "You know, considering how childish you act, things could've gone far, far worse. Thanks a lot for the bracelet, it was so incredibly sweet of you to get as well. Even so, it's time to die, including you!"

A lengthy spear of crimson light formed in her hand in a second, only a widening of his eyes needed before Takumi was shoving the boy named Issei away, a cry escaping him as the spear barely grazed the librarian's flesh. Was this similar to the power utilised by those girls to arrive on his doorstep? Was this weird, weird power something they could call upon too? And Takumi thought the knives the first girl had was a bit strange… But there was no time left for thought as a second spear materialised in the attacking woman's hand, ready to strike him down in a single blow.

"Well, even if you somehow managed to avoid my first hit, I will only need a second strike!" the winged woman declared as she moved forward, a speed far too great for Takumi to match meaning that the second crimson spear held in her hand was still held in her hand mere moments later – only also attached Issei's chest straight through. A cough had more blood flowing out of the boy, the disappearance of the spear, simply shrivelling away like nothing more than a prune until it disappeared, leaving nothing to stem the coming flow of the life liquid from Issei. "I hope you don't mind the fact that I must eliminate you. You're too much of a risk for us and any people who witness our acts must be eliminated. If you want anything to blame, might as well just put it on the one who gave Issei his sacred gear! Surely he also found it fate to bring you to this location to fall at the same time!"

But it was simply not to be, for in the time it took for a third version of the strange woman's weapon to materialise a dense fog overtook the area, a far cry from the initial pristine sky that cleansed the heart and soul. No longer did the great auburn of the evening reign dominant, a thick smock of grey falling over everything save for Takumi himself, who was left looking around furiously trying to find an escape. After all, there was a full blown murderer in the fog before him and now he had no idea where she was; there was literally nothing that he could do to keep himself from being murdered himself save for running into the mystery of the fog.

A hand came up in self-defence at the first sounds of footsteps that echoed through the fog upon the stone pathway, but as soon as the black dressed girl from the library plodded into view with a smile upon her face, Takumi was quick to embrace the confused white haired girl as hard as possible, a thousand scolds sitting upon his lips.

"What are you doing outside of the library!? How did you even get out!? It's not safe out here right now, okay?" Takumi quickly rambled out, the girl catching everything as she nodded without any signs of self-preservation, the smile simply remaining upon her face as she excitedly gave her answer.

"Don't worry about it! Now Jack's going to help me protect you master!" the girl declared, a moment of confusion passing through the librarian's mind before it quickly was swallowed by the hell known as dread. It was so fierce that even the small repeat of the title master went completely unnoticed, Takumi squinting as he looked into the darkness of the surrounding mist for the second girl. SO she was somewhere in this fog as well? And she wasn't with the second girl beside him? Sure, she had those knives at hands, but that doesn't mean anything against this odd woman! "Ah, I can tell you my name now! Master, I am Alice, Caster, and Jack is Jack, the Assassin. It's nice to meet you!"

Caster? Assassin? It certainly explained the weapons, that's for sure, but what the hell was the other girl, Jack, doing being an assassin? What did being a Caster even mean for Alice? Takumi's thoughts were broken by the frustrated cries of the winged woman from somewhere within the mist, the very same mist that Jack was now wandering and wondering within.

"Where have you gone!? As soon as I find you, you're dead just like Issei! You cannot escape the Fallen Angel Raynare for long!" the near naked woman cried, a small deadpan hum escaping Takumi. So her name was Raynare then? Well, it seemed like it was a time for name revelations.

"The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis…" a voice whispered out through the darkness of the fog, youthful and far too serious for the age of the speaker as Takumi looked around futilely, probably in the same vein as Raynare as the voice remained too disguised for them to find. "You tried to hurt my master… and now it's time for you to pay.

"Wait, what's Jack going to do?" Surely she couldn't have known that he was going to be attacked; just how quickly did they manage to break through the door!? And then there was the whole issue of somehow making their way through the fog that had somehow descended upon them…

"Master… did you not think the circle we're standing in was weird?" Alice questioned, Takumi's feverish pacing pausing as he took in his surroundings. Indeed, it was not just a simple free spot within the fog, but a perfect circle that flowed around them, completely in ignorance of the space around the pair of them. It was almost as if… "Yep! Jack's made this just for us! It's one of her special abilities!"

Well that made her go up his WTF list. Just what were these children capable of doing then if the little white haired waif had managed to summon up all of this smog from nowhere? A hesitant look into the smog had Takumi draw back, coughing madly from the inhalation; it was just like the spoke of in old England, where the industrial revolution had made the place pretty much toxic to live in. a sudden cry of pain had Takumi trying to turn to the source, a pathway forming within the swirling grey for Alice to march her way down, the librarian trying to keep up with the exuberance the black dressed girl was showing. There, they found a surprising sight, Raynare turning up a venomous glare towards the two as Takumi subconsciously pushed the girl behind his back.

There had once been perfect flesh, skin unblemished by the flaws of nature or not that plagued the majority of people. It was almost heavenly in design, probably due to the way that she claimed herself to be a fallen angel, but that was no more. As a result of what could only be the strange weapons in the hands of Jack, the smooth skin she was blessed with before was left only in a terrible state, several great gashes leaking blood as Raynare placed her fingers upon the crimson slices, a futile attempt to prevent the blood from running. The cuts covered a great amount of her body, the fallen struggling to even breath as she glared up towards Takumi, unable to properly stand. It made sense to the brown haired man; why would a child be nice and end it in a single hit when they could just go wild and hoped the person hurting their new parent would stop?

"What did you do? You're lucky that you managed to get… whatever it was to help you, otherwise you would be on your knees before me!" Raynare growled out, but it would only take a second for Takumi to drown out his moral compass for a second, a strange fist with nails poised resulting in a great scream from the fallen angel as she called herself, the first white haired girl from the library coming at the odd call with a bright smile as she latched onto Takumi's leg.

"What do you think Daddy? Did I do good?" Jack asked, a silent nod havig her beaming in excitement before a moment later had it mutated into a great frown of anger as a pink eyed look moved to the fallen angel upon the ground. "It's not fair. Alice wanted to show off, so I can't kill this lady myself. I wanted to see her womb!"

Now wasn't that something disturbing to hear from a young child? Raynare couldn't hold back the wince that came from such a thought, a phantom pain in her abdomen barely able to realise the agony she would go through if such a thing were to come up. It was fortunate then that Alice stepped up in Jack's place, the same continually cheerful grin upon her visage as she clutched her hands together, her chance to impress her master and new father coming into the light as the fog surrounded them for no escape.

" _ **Aykroyd in celluloid.**_

 _ **Acrostic sadistic.**_

 _ **Everyone here is ordinary.**_

 _ **Birds being birds and people being people is nice, isn't it?**_

 _ **Your name, I will take.**_

 _ **Nameless Forest."**_

And for Raynare, the world morphed.

* * *

There was an endless forest around the girl as she woke up, though her attention as more upon the perfectly flawless skin that was left behind in her transportation? Why would they take the time to heal her wounds when she was clearly an unwanted enemy? It had to be those girls; the man showed absolutely no sign of being even aware of the supernatural, let alone that she was going to purposely attack that boy, so it couldn't have been premediated by him.

"Damn you! Wherever you are, I will get my revenge! You will rue the day you ever messed with-!" but her words were lost upon an unreactive tongue. Why would it not let itself finish her promise? It wasn't as if she wouldn't be able to keep it after all! It would simply be a case of finding the nearest village and she would be able to return to finish the job! But that still left the question of why would her words halt?

It was her name, Raynare suddenly realised. Was it Raynare who realised? Whenever she tried to come up with a name, her mind fell completely flat, as if the information had been completely torn from her mind. What did they think they would do by making her unable to remember her name? as soon as she would be able to return home from this accursed forest, she would simply ask one of her old friends and everything would be fine once more. A little memory loss wouldn't do all that much damage.

Her friends, yes… who were they again? She certainly had them, there was no doubt about that, but their names were simply evading her. Their silhouettes were vague within her mind scape. Struggling to form, but perhaps if she focused upon the idea extremely hard…! They were… men, right? No, they were definitely female. But her mind kept throwing up the idea of a man! Had she taken on a husband? No, that's impossible, there was no way she could've taken on someone as a permanent lover!

"But why?" she muttered as she looked to trembling fingers. Why was there such an incredible disbelief at the thought of taking a husband? She was a beautiful girl fairly clever and it wasn't as if she was socially awkward, so why was there a distaste for the idea of taking on a permanent relationship? Wasn't that the normal thing people did? Maybe it was the same reason why she was wearing such a strange outfit. Perhaps she worked in an odd business which made having such relationships extremely awkwa… oh god, was she a prostitute!?

What a weird thought… the idea hit it as strange. Wasn't being a prostitute a job usually reserved for girls? Did that mean it was a girl? Even looking down at itself didn't reveal much, its eyes going blurry as it continued to wander through the endless forest without purpose. Was there more that it needed to remember? What else could it possibly remember? Did it have a home? Where was it from? Who had put it in this terrible forest? It was starting to get tired but its feet continued their needless journey, trudging along without any form of enthusiasm.

Thoughts began to drain away from its mind like a sieve, barely able to even hold the most important information about itself. Gone were such useless pieces of knowledge like education, friends and family or age. Birthdays of friends or its sizes were thrown out of the window without worry and the name of her home was completely lost without issue. It was barely able to recall the basic ability to walk, how to count and use the strange spells it had at its disposal being way more disposable. Words were left to drift away on the wind, thoughts becoming gibberish as they refused to be materialised, all of the languages gifted to her fleeing as if they were in a war zone. Was this a forest? There was certainly a lot of… no, what were they? Why were there a lot of them?

Before it even could tell what was happening to itself, its arms began to disappear, not that it gave a second thought about it; was there meant to be anything there in the first place anyway? The same happened with its legs, though it wasn't as if it was walking, that ability dissolved like sugar for the sweetest of… it couldn't remember. What was sugar anyway? As eyes melted away, the figure forgetting how to see, or hear, or smell, or that it ever had wings or hair, there was little left for it to do but obliviously continue to meaninglessly wander without the ability to wander.

Eventually, it forgot how to use its bladder, various foul excrements plaguing the forest's floor as the its body forgot how to keep the heart pumping, not that it mattered; it also forgot how to make the diaphragm keep her breathing, or the cells respiring. They disappeared as well, melting away upon there was little more than a blank faceless head resting upon the ground of the forest, but even that was made to disappear with time. There was no one left within the endless forest, the name Raynare forgotten by all within that strange world. First, Raynare forgot everything she had learnt about the world and others. Then she had forgot everything that that she had learnt about herself and then, it forgot just how its body was mean to function, trying to do something it had no chance of comprehending.

And in the endless forest, it forgot that it existed in the first place.

* * *

As Rias and Akeno approached through the Gremory magic circle, a blazing red light filling the night as the two looked down upon the fallen body. Rias flipped back the long tresses of red that threatened to enter her blue eyed vision, her school uniform fortunate enough to be saved from the combat. Beside her, Akeno made sure to keep the ponytail that trailed down her back out of the way as her pink orbs gazed across the area as she too scanned the area.

"So it's true then. There has been a great battle here. There's a great amount of magic in the air." Rias remarked, her eyes closed as she gently ran her hand across the fallen body of Issei, careful to avoid the blood that pooled beneath his body. "Akeno, are you able to recognise the signatures of those involved?"

"Even though there's so much magic in the air, I can't seem to recognise the signatures. Either someone's managed to infiltrate Kuoh, or someone already in Kuoh has suddenly become able to utilise magic." The black haired girl answered, the area practically seeping in strange energy. "It's not exactly the type we're used to either… I can't determine what it is other than it isn't based upon the elements save for a tiny semblance to water."

"Ah, so we're working with a water user, or possibly multiple then?" Rias mused, a small giggle escaping her as she reached into her pocket. With a few pieces, this resurrection would be easy enough and then it was simply a case of helping him heal up; it was the ones who had participated in the battle who were more pressing. "Sona never mentioned trying to help out Issei and it would be rude to simply try poaching someone I already placed a reservation on."

"Ah, it appears that there's a great focus of energy come this area Rias." Akeno called out, the redhead turning to where Akeno focused her attentions upon a bloodstain without a body, a lack of a trail leading to some direction meaning that either the body had managed to disappear magically or had managed to plug the type of wounds that had managed to produce such a copious amount of blood. "It feels… strange. As if there's been a lot of earth base magic here, but the ground is undisturbed and there are no examples of any sort of plants."

"Plants? Now that one's a bit rarer. That should narrow it down a bit I suppose." Rias declared, the crimson pieces in her hand sinking down into Issei's chest, the soft movements of his breathing making a smile appear upon the girl's face. "For now though, we should go and try to heal Issei. I'll take that job myself, so could I trouble you to clean this place up?"

"My my, shoving the hard work to someone else as you get close to Issei? What a lazy president I have!" Akeno giggled with a hand to her cheek, a scoff escaping Rias as she teleported through her magic circle with her new acquisition leaving just the black haired girl alone in the damaged area. There was a slight acidity to the air that seemed out of place in the clean Kuoh, one that had Akeno pondering the possibilities.

"I suppose even if there was a bit of interference, the president got what she wanted. Whether it was the best way of doing it is perhaps a little bit of a different conversation, but never the less, I have a job." Akeno sighed as her magic began to clean away the blood, a simple task for one of her magical calibur. There were numerous things you could do with the blood of a fallen angel, which it should be considering the people they had seen with Issei, but at the level Akeno and Rias were working out, it was much better and easier to simply get rid of all of the damning evidence. There were also the holes in various objects which she had to deal with, the trees fairly reasonable to leave as is.

"Oh? What is this?" her hand graced the small piece of paper that fell from the air, its origin completely shrouded from Akeno's sight. After her initial scan proved useless, the black haired schoolgirl merely gave a shrug as she continued her work, pocketing the small note for the end of her mission. It didn't take much before it was all better, the fountain fortunately fixed in the time her barrier was still active; there was no chance of someone coming across anything more a young schoolgirl choosing to go to the fountain on a clean night.

The paper was relatively new in Akeno's hand, turning it freely to check for any spells. With nothing more to find, it was a simple task to look for the cursive. Why someone would choose to leave a simple note in response to the attack they failed to stop, let alone leave anything that could possibly reveal the ones who battled here, was completely unknown to Akeno but it wasn't long before she let out a chuckle at its contents.

"Oh my, what a threatening letter from this person, and in such a cute manner too. How am I meant to take such a thing? I suppose it's best to take this hoe with me. I'll show it to Rias in the morning." Akeno decided, a small gaze around the area before she entered her own magic circle and disappeared from sight, the shrine she made her home (Or rather, Rias was able to get and turn into Akeno's home.) waiting peacefully. A good cup of tea would be nice before bed after all, especially after such a strange little note. There was not a second word to be said after Akeno's disappearance, but there were some wo swore that a strange voice, that of a girl, whispered upon the wind melodiously,

 _You want to play? We'll play with you!_

 _We'll come up with fun things to do!_

 _We'll make you dance, we'll watch you fight,_

 _We'll make you do bad things all night!_

 _Force you to swallow old used grease,_

 _Trap you with a hundred rabid geese!_

 _We'll see if you ever break when you bend._

 _We'll make sure the fun will never end!_

* * *

 **And I suppose I'll end it there! So tell me, what do you think of this story? Unlike my other grade 2 story (Grade 1 is where the chapters are three thousand words apiece) this one was written in one fell swoop, so I wouldn't be surprised if there is a little drop in the quality. Anyway, there's more where that came from, so stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	2. Chapter 2 - the encounter

**...Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like this did pretty good for the debut. 60 favourites and 75 followers from a single chapter I think is the best I've managed to do. I don't know the standard that is considered to be 'high level', but for me, this is in line as one of the top two stories I've done. As for why Takumi can't drive... let's say he can't afford it on the salary he had and it would cut into his personal funds to take a taxi to the nearest orphanage. Anyway, you don't want to hear about that do you? Let's get into this story shall w** **e? Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Tapio, make sure Naruto doesn't get hurt by his new discovery! Friends are important, but so is taking care of yourself!_

 _Tapio: Do not let what has happened pollute your mind. Keep calm and carry on._

 _Takumi: Well at least things can keep going on nicely... is that Issei?_

 _Tapio: Well, it does appear to be that way. Have fun with that._

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

A madman.

That was what they were going to think of him as he placed his head upon the desk. The very moment he even attempted to explain the things he had just seen, they would easily resign Takumi to the mad asylum, locked away until he got the thoughts of fallen angels and murder and young girls bringing acidic fog the area completely locked away. Perhaps the brown haired librarian should welcome such a thing. But that meant being taken away by his apparently new adoptive daughters. His incredibly strange, dangerous daughters.

What other moniker could he call them after all, when they had given him such a… well, Takumi was loathe to call it gruesome considering the worst that they reached was numerous bleeding cuts… unbelievable show? Raynare ha simply disappeared from his sigh as soon as that strange incantation Alice used was finished, nothing but her blood remaining of the woman and he hoped that was that. But then the little girl somehow gave another wave of her hand, and a window allowed him to gaze into the endless forest within, the Nameless Forest according to the 'Caster' as she called herself.

It had been so oddly entrancing for him to watch, the fallen angel that had easily murdered a person before his very eyes now no bigger than a toy in front of him as she stumbled about. It had been somewhat reasonable to the glasses wearing man as he watched the woman stumble about endlessly between the trees, a punishment of eternal hell without food or water from the description of Alice, but then the most unbelievable things had him almost gagging.

The girl practically started to disappear, piece by piece as her body began to fall the ground. Her wings faded away, a dull part of his mind noting that it made her appear even slightly more like a normal woman until her legs vanished in the same light, leaving her body attempting to move without anything to move it. The arms disappeared soon after, but still Raynare showed not even a sign of even caring about it. According to Alice, she didn't even now that she was losing those things for the power of the Nameless Forest meant that you forgot everything about yourself, including that you even had those appendages in the first place. Was that a blessing, or a curse? Was it painful? Well, there was no reason for it to be painful, considering that everything was disappearing as if it had never been a part of her in the first place… but to dwell on that sort of thing was a little weird, so with a deep breath, the librarian turned to the girls sitting at one of the library tables.

It was starting to get late, but with the simple lights, there was nothing that stopped the girls from messing about like the children they appeared to be. Perhaps they hadn't been the ones to directly kill Raynare (though his thoughts still remained on the odd paradox that was the death of the black haired woman – was it a suicide if she forgot that she existed? Assisted suicide? Was it actually been a murder or a death? Could you call it a death?) but they still had a heavy hand in her death and yet when Alice delighted in the act of reading one of the books to a clearly illiterate Jack, a simple picture book dictating a girl's adventure through a forest (lovely.) there was nothing that could match that deadly image.

But what was he to do? Takumi's home was only meant for a single person and yet he now had an additional two people to take care of. Maybe they could fit in the bed together, but they didn't appear to have any additional clothes and he was certainly not going to let Jack wear such strange garbs for any longer that was necessary. That would also take a bite out of his wage and nobody claimed that being a librarian was a well-paid job… but then he looked to how happy Alice was surrounded by the books and how Jack was enraptured by the story she told and there was nothing that Takumi could do save for promise that he would make it work… as soon as he figured out how they managed to break through the locked door. That would be a bit awkward if he wanted to make sure that they stayed inside.

"Well then you two, it's getting late. We should probably be getting the two of you to bed. In the morning we can also get you all you need, but I suppose for tonight you can just wear what you have to sleep." Takumi ordered, Alice quickly placing the book carefully back onto the brightly coloured shelf that glowed just like the others that populated the children's section, Jack by his side in a second. Yes, she was calling herself the 'assassin'… that might be a bit dangerous. Taking them by the hand, the two let their smiles light up the night as Takumi began walking home, careful to avoid the park. It only just occurred to him, but while they managed to 'get rid' of Raynare's body, the Issei boy's would still be lying there, along with the blood that both spilt! They would have to clean that up!

But dashing over to the scene of the crime, there was barely even a scratch to be found save for the trees, but even they could be ignored in the right context. Was this a work of the police? No, that wouldn't make any sense, they were more likely to preserve as well as section of the area for evidence and there was no way they could've chanced upon the scene in the small time they had left it in… there was no time where either Alice or Jack could've done it either, meaning there was only one choice left, one that had Takumi clutching the two girls' hands even harder than he was before.

There was someone who knew what they had done. They had come across the crime scene and rather than report it, they chose to remove all evidence of it ever being there. What did that mean? Did they know it was them who did the deed? Were they merely toying with him? The thoughts had him gripping the hands of the girls even harder as his pace accelerated, a one stop journey to his home perfectly planned out in a fear ridden mind. It was somewhat intriguing, how the human mind could gain focus from such negative emotions like fear and anger; instincts might make that a priority in order to make our base urges as a hunter and prey act better to avoid death or defeat our enemies with little difficulty however.

As they moved though, the remained completely unaware of the shadow that melted into the night, their job achieved. It had gotten what little information it required and now it was but a simple task of trying to accumulate the knowledge into something useful – put a face to a name, a name to a job and a job to a working schedule, make sure that they had everything. It would be interesting to find out just whether this man was responsible for the energy thrown about or not and remaining unseen, there were one who would be able to catch them. Jack's eyes narrowed.

There was one person that knew. thank goodness for her ability.

* * *

Takumi was left rubbing the back of his head as he looked to the delighted Alice dancing around the store floor, a great frilly dress clutched within her delicate hands as Jack looked to the ripped jeans. Why such articles of clothing were available within a perfectly normal clothes shop the librarian had no idea, but it still was going to put a sizeable dent into his funds. But when the only other choice was to allow the girls to remain in their clothes, woefully unprepared for normal life; there was enough evidence to make him doubt the theory he had of them being orphans off of the streets, but that still didn't explain the reason why they were so used to strange clothing.

"Are you sure that you want that dress? We can get you something else if you like the look of it?" the brown haired librarian suggested as he crouched down to reach Alice's eyes, but he hadn't been expecting the small tears that budded within their corners, the lightly coloured dress clutched even tighter, baby blues and white coming together for a truly child designed dress, even if it belonged in the Victorian times.

"But… It's… it remin…" the white haired girl muttered, burying her face within the article in her grip as the small smile softened upon Takumi's face. It was understandable really; when you had been torn away from the ones you loved, wanting to keep something that reminded you of their presence could only be expected, the girl leaping for joy and a great hug when Takumi nodded his head. Sure, it was a bit more expensive than the other pieces on display at the shop, but if he let himself stop for such a pitiful reason, he couldn't really look at himself and say he was acting like the father he thought he would be for them.

"I've chosen something. Is this alright?" A small gasp escaped Takumi as the assassin appeared at his side. The soft whisper further muffled by the clothes in her hand. They were simple wears, t shirts of varying colours and ripped jeans (why they give those sorts of things to the youth, Takumi wouldn't be able to say). The fearful part of his mind still spoke of the actions that girl had been able to take that night, how she had come close to murdering Raynare only to allow another to do so in her steed, but then the rest of his mind reminded himself of the girls who woke up early because they wanted to explore the house he had, who marvelled at the sight of breakfast in front of them, who fumbled with chopsticks before they were able to eat and who looked up to him with eyes practically begging for love.

"It's great Jack. Now, let's pay for all this stuff. Then, we can go look to the toy store." If he had anything left after this. Well, that was a lie, but it was going to be hell to try and make up. As long as he wasn't hitting rock bottom though, he was well entitled to splashing out a little bit though, wasn't he?

"Toy…?" Jack mumbled, a foot scuffing the ground as the code was punched into the reader, the sly smile given by the till woman returned with an earnest one of Takumi's own. Alice grabbed a hold of Jack's hands as her eyes began to twinkle regardless of the strange looks the pair received with their odd clothing.

"Toys are great fun! They have bears, and trees, and planets and you can do anything with them! We should have a tea party with them!" Alice declared, eagerly running off with the other white haired girl before slightly apologetic eyes and an inquisitive look were given as soon as she returned to a chuckling Takumi, his pointing finger having them finally moving in the right direction. For all their joy, it was hard to forget that they were completely different from the twins that strolled along beside their parents clutching the ice creams that dripped upon them without a care in the world.

He was repeating himself again, wasn't he? But how do you simply get past that sort of thing? When they weren't being cute in front of him, his brain was allowed to indulge in its more conspiratorial pleasures, his fears coming to life before his eyes. What if he was next upon the victims list? What other sorts of tricks and abilities did the girls have in their sleeves? Was he going to be the one they tested those skills upon? The effects of what he had seen that night had left him completely frazzled from the very start, awaking to find his violently thrown off bedding nowhere near his body and his hand drenched as soon as it passed along his forehead. A trembling hand had prepared the breakfast he fed the girls, but that didn't mean he had to let that part of him rule his body. They deserved to have someone take care of them regardless; everyone deserved a parent in their life.

And so he would buy those toys. He would let them have their tea party and he would make the tea himself for them to enjoy. Not biscuits though, they would be store bought; Takumi was terrible at baking. Even if his mind reviled the very thought, he would let his heart rule. Moving towards the toy shop, the brown haired man gave a silent apology to the girl he bumped into as he moved along, the brightly coloured entrance far too hard to miss. There were those who wondered how people could ever think to function in such crazy environment, but to him, it was merely a different kind of paradise to what he knew.

Behind all of the prices and the deals, there was a genuine well-meant desire to a toy store. Their sole purpose was to entertain the youth, provide countless hours of joy and create worlds that the children could dive into even beyond the wonder of books. He wasn't above admitting that there were just some things that you couldn't do with books, especially considering that some were illiterate like Jack. With toys, it was all visual and physical; you don't need to be able to understand advanced language or any language at all to know that the elephant was cuddly and I'm not leaving until I've gotten it. It was a wonderful bonding experience, especially considering all that he had been able to do with the toys the library had been able to afford. Maybe Takumi should get something new for the library children's sections.

Alice had returned in surprising little time, clutching the box for a surprisingly well made tea set for what was meant for children. The rabbit held in Jack's hand didn't appear to be her idea, not from the confused way she seemed to look at the stuffed animal, but she didn't make any complaints as she offered it for Takumi to place under the barcode scanner.

"Is it a special treat today?" the man on the other side asked with a pleasant smile, honed over years of experience in the near luminescent blue jeans and yellow waistcoat.

"I suppose you could call it something like that." Mused Takumi after a moment's hesitation, a twinkle finding its way into his glasses. After all, he wasn't lying about it being a treat for them, just as much as he wasn't lying by not mentioning the fact that it also appeared to be the only toys the girls seemed to receive in their lives if they abstract joy meant anything to the man. A chuckle escaped the till worker as he took the card, the smile directed down to the children as they looked back with different looks. He didn't appear too fazed by the curiosity present upon Alice, but the light darkness that seemed to exude from Jack purely from the few second look was enough to force the till man's attention away, disappearing completely upon the hand that gently ran across her head from Takumi.

"Well they seem like they deserve it. Have a nice day sir." And as they walked out of the entrance, it was to return to the library so that Takumi could get his work done. He was fortunate enough that there was someone who was willing to take his job over for the small time he would be gone and behind the desk, there would be little risk to the clothes and toys. Today was the day he was meant to work the children's section, meaning it would've been an easy job for his replacement as long as he got back before they started the activities; that sort of thing got a bit crazy.

"Are we going back to the library? I liked the library!" Alice giggled out as she practically danced upon the street, hands held out as if a single misstep would have her falling to the bottom. Jack was far terser with her walk, the knives dismissed as toys whenever anyone asked Takumi, but it still didn't mean she looked any less ready to fight. "Jack, we can go look at the nursery rhyme books again! Aren't you excited?"

"Yes. It will be nice… are you going to be there as well father?" the assassin responded, those expectant eyes turning up to Takumi as he smirked how convenient that he would be able to do just that.

"I'll be right there, but I'll also be helping all of the children, so I might not be able to spend as much time with you two alone." He apologised, brushing his hair back as he pushed aside the door to the library. A quick deposit behind the front desk and a quick wave to the aide who had taken over for him had them ready to play, Alice quick to drag off Jack to learn how to read once more as Jack prepared himself.

When it came to entertaining children, you had to be rather particular in what you did. After all, they were often the stricter critics out of anyone possible, so you couldn't pull any tricks on them. That didn't mean they were too difficult to have fun with though, their attitude easily having them adjust to any sort of roleplaying and that was exactly what he was banking on. Costume pulled together from the backroom, coloured hand streaked through his hair and washed so he wouldn't stain the books, Takumi was ready to step out, but not as Takumi Yuu. Now, he was the storyteller known as Vert and he was ready to perform.

As the parents ushered energetic children to their seats, there was little objection or complaint, even the rowdiest of those present within the crown coming to silence as they sat upon their pillows. Within the brightly coloured children's section of the library, there was almost an unspoken rule, as Alice and Jack were quick to learn.

"What happened? Everyone's gone quiet?" Alice questioned with a tilt of her head as one of the other girls eagerly dashing other to take the hands of the two sat at their table with a grin that could light up the area, her head gesturing towards the tree stump like seat in the centre of the arc of sitting children.

"Vert the story teller comes every week to tell a story! You have to listen to him, he's great at it!" the girl gushed, practically bouncing in place as she looked to her pillow, apparently a keen commodity in the black market of the books. "He does a whole bunch of different stories every time, so you can never tell what he's gonna read next, but he never runs out of stories unless we ask him to tell us one again!"

And so their attention was caught. Stepping carefully over to the three pillows apparently reserved for the girl and her new friends, both Alice and Jack let out a small gasp of happiness when the green dressed storyteller came out with a large book in hand. it was a well-crafted little piece, the spine forming its own braches as several leaves came off at different places, the title of the Vert engraved upon the 'wood' of the front as the man slipped himself onto the stump. Gone was the brown jumper replaced with one of a forest hue, the trousers taking on the brown as slippers of green completed the ensemble. To any other, he would've looked to be the most incredibly stupid appearing man on the earth and yet in that very moment, there was no one else the children wanted to see.

"It's so nice to see you all again! Have you been having fun?" Vert questioned, the bright smile upon his face coming at the sound of cheerful children before him. "That's brilliant! Well then, I suppose you'll want the story then? Well, we'll be able just as soon as we open the lock and for that, we need the key!" and a hand eagerly went to his pocket, ready to pull out the only obstacle to a brilliant story.

And yet there was nothing. A hand moved to the other pocket. Nothing at all. Down the length of his leg? Not a single thing to be found. Maybe it was inside his jumper? No, that wasn't it. As Alice and Jack began to look round in confusion with the younger additions of the library crew, they caught the amused glimpse of the girl who had drawn them to listen, completely unperturbed by the lack of a key.

"Does that mean no story?" Jack whispered, a disappointed glint entering her eye. If there wasn't going to be a story, then she would just go back to having Alice try to teach her to write. The smile didn't leave the older girl's face however as she merely pointed a slightly pudgy finger towards the curtains that sat in the corner of the section, the neon orange clashing wonderfully with the chaotic colours of the other sections.

"No, but there's another we can get a key!" the girl delighted in informing the other two. "Vert usually loses the key, so he has to keep getting one made in the special machine."

"Well then, I can't seem to find it at all. It looks like we're going to have to get one made again. Oh well, can you all call with me?" at the children's resounding agreement, Jack's perhaps a bit more hesitant as the curtains were lifted, though that hesitance was immediately gone at the sight of the machine behind the display.

It had been a gift from a council benefactor, apparently a way to augment his performance. How the thing had been created in the little time the benefactor had apparently known of the performance at the library, Takumi was unsure, but who was he to complain? He pressed the switch as discretely as he could, the whole performance timing honed to perfection after numerous rehearsals in the silence of the museum.

"Well then big machine, have you got a key for us?" Vert asked, a whistle coming as the steam began to flow out of the train whistle like chimney atop of the hulking grey beast, though it wasn't entirely such boring colour. "Well then, with me everyone! One, two, three, what's today's key!"

And the magic began.

A rhythmic tune began to echo out of the machine as it started swaying slightly, an absolute mess of different things happening that had the children swallowing it up. Several different wheels began to spin, the spirals painted upon their front acting as a hypnotic force as the gears began to churn under the force of a black band tying them together. Upon the top, a large cylinder of black began to spin like mad, the odd piece of white lost to the rapid rotations. It was as if there was face on the machine, a square piece of red sitting under two mad gauges for eyes as a third acted like a nose, several more gauges to be found spinning back and forth upon the front.

The lights dotted about began to flash to the tune of the music, a traffic light placed upon the wall beside it switching its colours without rhyme or reason as the whistle continued to spew its smoke, even a toy train coming along the front of the machine, the top half set back to make way for the tracks. A great red square upon the front eventually shook, once, twice, before finally bursting forth to produce a slide of red , a key falling out as all action stopped, the spinning cylinder of black stopping to reveal the word printed upon it. It had been a nightmare to install but with the benefactor's help, there wasn't a single issue and the children loved it.

"So, the keyword for today is dragon is it? Well this key definitely does seem a bit draconic, roar!" there was a lovely lady who had little to do in her retirement age, who had actually found a place with the parents. Given a small amount of time and the right materials, she had been able to make all sorts of things, so Takumi had asked her to fix the sign up to have the right 'key word' and make the key, each tailored to the next story and placed in the machine. "I guess today's story will have a dragon in it! I love dragons; they're so big and strong, but they're also quite naughty sometimes! And now, we have our key, we have our book, let's open it up and have a look!"

And so with a twist of the red scale like key in the lock, there was no issue when it came to opening the book, the pages blank but as long as you didn't show the children, there was no need for them to know at all.

"Today's story is, Daniel the dragon!"

 _From days far gone, forever more,_

 _You'll always hear Daniel roar._

 _As tall as the peaks, the size of the seas,_

 _Far bigger than any of the trees._

 _He spends his days within the stone,_

 _The biggest mountain that he called home…_

* * *

When the same boy Takumi had watched die walked hesitantly through the door, clearly unfamiliar with the intellectual surroundings, it took all that he could do to stop himself from lashing out and smashing the boy in the face to prevent the zombie apocalypse. How he was still standing was something that the librarian was struggling with, the persistent part of his brain simply refusing to admit that the sight in front of him was real, but he could not deny even a zombie proper service; as long as he… didn't disturb the peace?

"Can I help you there sir?" Takumi politely greeted Issei, a small stumble coming from the boy as he turned to the front desk. They weren't the biggest place, but the front desk was still pretty noticeable with its polished oak, so how did he miss one of the first things you see when you enter the library? "Are you looking for something specific, or do you need some assistance elsewise?"

"It is you, you were there!" the brunette gasped as he dashed over to the front, Takumi slightly recoiling as his hands slammed into the hard wood before the librarian. There was a great desperate aura to his very movements, Issei's eyes flickering back and forth as he tried to spit out the words. There was no way for him to deny the boy some thinking time; Takumi would no doubt be caught in the exact same fluster if he thought he had been killed that night. "Did… did you heal me? Were you the one who brought me back!?"

Now that was somewhat reasonable. After all, Issei had unfortunately fallen before he was able to fight back, or let the others fight back to be more appropriate, so he was the last chance Issei would have of learning the truth; the fact that he didn't have the truth to give simply made the news even more painful to give. What could've brought Issei back? Had he truly died? Had he simply left a body to choke in the smog and then freeze in the cold air of the night as he ran away, left helpless and dying until someone was kind enough to save him? That made Takumi feel a little awkward.]

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're speaking about." Takumi answered politely, a small wince escaping the brown haired man as he caught the slight wince of Issei. Perhaps he had asked about a similar thing to more people than just him. "But perhaps if we go somewhere a little more private, we can see if you can jog my memory."

Don't talk about this in public. It was a simple enough message for the boy to get and there was no issue when Takumi invited the boy to one of the offices, a small slide of the metal upon the door meaning no one should enter their little conversation. Sat upon the fancy chair, Issei gave a small tut every time he caught his own little shivers and trembles, a lazy hand reaching out to try and calm the stressed appendages. Settling behind his personal desk, Takumi let a weary sigh past his lips as he steeped his fingers, the next conversation going to be hard one. Thank goodness he had Jack and Alice sitting quietly in the corner, for it would make a small bit more sense with the two girls available.

"Well, I suppose you'll be wanting to know more about last night." Takumi declared, his finger flicking absently at the nod that came his way in response. "I'll be blunt then. I don't know who healed you, but it wasn't me. Technically it wasn't even me who… got rid of the weird woman Raynare."

"Raynare…? Yuuma! You can still remember Yuuma!" the boy exclaimed in glee, the first signs of tears coming to Issei's eyes, much to Takumi's silence. "There hasn't been a single person who can remember Yuuma, you're the first one who finally kept the memory of her! So someone got rid of her?"

Now this was the fun part. How to break it to a teenager that the two girls sitting quietly in the corner, the ones that Issei had remained blissfully unaware of, were responsible for their death. Perhaps it was a peaceful one? It was a little, but whatever way it took to make the impact feel a little less strong was a godsend; there was no hiding the joy he found at the idea of the 'Yuuma' persona he associated with Raynare, so speaking of her death would be… interesting.

"Yeah. This may seem a little weird but… it's probably two of the least likely culprits you could've expected." Takumi stalled, his eyes scanning the room as a veil of confusion fell over Issei. It was only when Takumi's head jerked towards the two children in the corner of the room, Alice giving a little wave as Jack merely stared at him suspiciously, when the boy let out a splutter, the true meaning of Takumi's words sinking in to his mind.

"Wait, are you telling me those two managed to… kill Yuuma?" the boy gulped as he turned his view away, but that did little to hide the tears of frustration that threatened to wind down his cheeks. To be honest, Takumi hadn't known what to expect when he made the explanation; at least this reaction meant that Issei was taking him seriously.

"I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but that girl wasn't the Yuuma that she introduced herself as. Her real name was Raynare." The librarian gently corrected, reaching a hand over to awkwardly pat the boy's shoulder. What could he do? Sure, the boy burst out into a greater stream of tears at the reminder that the girl he seemed to have taken out on a date if the fallen angel's words were correct, but he couldn't exactly let him keep lying to himself – that sort of thing was unhealthy after all. "She was lying to you all that time. She made it out as if she had planned to do this the whole time. No one can expect you to come out easily from the discovery of a relationship that was brought about by lies."

"But…Yuu-Raynare…" it was painful for the boy to even speak out, the girl he had poured his own into throwing it away like scraps off of her plate. He had thought she had been the one, they had been having so much fun – he thought so – and yet now… and it was two children who did it? Issei was left wondering whether he should be laughing or crying even more. "Maybe she could've…"

"Changed? Do you think the person who easily killed you after playing with your heart would change so easily?" Takumi gently scolded with a tut. It was a sweet thought, foolish, but incredibly sweet. Whoever did end up with boy would definitely be a happy person. "Issei, those sort of people are too far gone. Maybe she shouldn't have died like she did, but there was no way she would even think of changing at all."

"Did… she die painlessly?" Takumi supposed the right answer to the boy's small sob would soothe his heart. It would at least allow a small bit of reprieve to come to his troubled heart, a gentle movement towards some form of healing.

"She didn't notice a thing. She forgot what pain was." The childish tone that interrupted their talk drew Issei's eyes to Alice sitting comfortable with her book clutched close to her chest, the small smile seemingly always present upon her face gone. "She forgot everything about her. Whatever pain she felt from being cut up by Jack was forgotten, she didn't feel any pain as her every piece of her body systematically began to shut down until they disappeared, dissolved to be a part of the Nameless Forest. If she ever felt any pain as she died, she wouldn't remember it upon her final moments of death."

When had she learnt to be so cold? Either of them? Of course, Jack suited the image far better than Alice, though it appeared neither of them held any remorse in their voice as they spoke. Could Takumi ever class them as normal children? There was no way he could, not after what he saw in front of his very eyes, but perhaps the librarian was just a little too desperate for a daughter of his own to care. Issei however, was struck silent by the cold explanation, the sweet tones giving way to a harshness unheard of.

"Issei, why don't you go home for a bit? This is a lot of news to take in and I'm sure you can get your parents to call in for time due to the death of a close person." Takumi suggested with a pat to the boy's back, helping him to stand up. "I'll walk you back if you want; you shouldn't have to be alone after that kind of trauma. Jack, Alice, can you stay here until I return? And no doing what you did before!"

There was nothing to fill the air as they walked out of the door, the streets too busy for someone to care as they walked distinctly to avoid the park. Issei's instructions were sparse, quiet mutterings that Takumi almost missed every time, but they managed to get across a good bit of the town until they reached the major residential area, the people busy with their days spluttering out as they found their way back of home after the end of work. With just the nose of their feet colliding with the ground, it made sense that it would be hard to notice the presence that was following behind, but it didn't take much to have the librarian turn around, only to walk headfirst into a girl doing something similar.

"Ah, Rias Gremory!" Issei exclaimed, said redheaded, incredibly buxom girl barely fazed by the accident as she flipped her crimson locks back behind her, blue eyes twinkling with intrigue.

"Ah, Issei. I wondered where you went so fast after school. I wondered if we could talk a bit?"

* * *

 **And let's stop things now right there. So what are we thinking about this? Maybe it wasn't as good as I could've made it, but there's more action to come eventually, as well as someone new you probably haven't expected. Can anyone say 'relatively obscure person?' Make sure to tell me what you think and if I can improve. I know someone wanted small chapters, which I don't think happened and I don't think I made the first chapter make any more sense.**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	3. Chapter 3 - the replacement

**Greetings my friends. I thought I would just explain a little of my thought process when it comes to this before you meet a mysterious new man. When it came to the noble phantasms, this longer chapter means that I can add a bit more description to my work and now it can appear more creepy. That's good for Jack, but what about Nursery Rhyme? well, I want to see how long I can go while putting a small rhyme in every single chapter. Wish me luck. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Tapio, what comes next in your dangerous world? Looks like someone's approaching!_

 _Tapio: Deep in the bowels of Russia, a man awakens. You would be wise to watch him._

 _Takumi: I'm sure it won't affect me if he's all the way in Russia!_

 _Tapio: I would not take my eye off of him. it may not be safe._

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

He heard the screech of his blade as it carved through the man before him, a small tut escaping past his lips as he found the sword lodging itself within the nearly bisected chest. Held within an iron grip (mostly due to the fact that seemingly every surface of his skin was covered in thick metal, their hinges squeaking with ever movement), the sword was easily drawn out of the clearly dying body, the metal covered man bringing the sword close to his masked face, metal fingers tracing the edges of his weapon as the body at his feet began to splutter blood onto heavy boots.

"That noise… I suppose it really wasn't one of my cleanest cuts. That's probably the reason why it failed to cut through." It had been a specially designed sword for that very purpose. The three holes within the sword would only cry out when the slash was anything but straight, a small training method that allowed him perfect clarity whenever he made a bad swing. It did little to dull the effect of the blade however, its steel ruthlessly cutting through the vile men that stood before him. "But with my skill, I suppose that's somewhat counteracted. Still, I need to find my way out of this mess…"

How he had gotten there had been unclear, but being surrounded by such evil had immediately forced him into action. At first, it had been a bit of a struggle when he learnt of the great metal that covered his body, the heavy material forcing him to place effort for an action that had come to him so seamlessly, but when he had been faced with the bloodied clothes that draped his seemingly summoners, there was only one action he could take.

Before they knew it, the youngest of their ilk had fallen, the deranged faced blue haired man sliced in half with nary a sound, the swordsman not even needing to move a single step before a swing had the man easily beheaded. When the thin blonde woman came rampaging towards him in revenge, angered screams of various torture, she had practically ran onto the spike of his blade, her fingers curling around the metal as if she could pull it out. Why did they always do that? The second and third fell to his swift movements as well, the swordsman uncaring for the crimson that started to stain his white hair, darkening the brown hat and soaking his dark trench coat.

As the next pair fell to a spinning slash, the man couldn't help his desire to contemplate the snow that dotted the ground, despite the people battling upon it, there was relatively little disturbed, a testament to the speed of his art; a single slice and they were down for the count, for it was better to do so then leave them thrashing about to stain the earth beneath them and crush down the pure white surrounding. There had only been one who ended with suffering, their bisected body resting before his crimson tinted boots as he wiped down his body. The blood ran down the steel of his thick armour easily, but that still left that which soaked into the green trench coat covering his body and his brown fedora, he only thing stopping as much of the life liquid from falling into the white mess beneath.

"So careless… there should've been none to splatter, but then again, I'm also used to having a cleaner atmosphere and more time." The iron man mused, his words coming through the small grate left for him to breathe in the modelled lips. A single hit and the deed was done, no mess and the body was dealt with shortly. Clearly it would be much harder to get rid of the evidence in this case, but that wouldn't be too much of an issue; his strength also seemed greater than he was used to.

A silent heft had the broken corpses shoved away into the darkness, a steel coated hand now a completely different colour as it wiped away the stray beads of powdered white that dotted a metal brow. With that done, he was free to go wherever he desired, but that left the simple question of where to start? Going to France felt like something to do at the end, a sort of nostalgia trip of sorts, and there were countless different countries he would be more than pleased to visit. Blue eyes moved to his hands, a slow movement having them creak with the life force that had flowed into their hinges, a small sigh escaping; with this sort of armour however, it would be incredibly difficult to move around, but if it was let him find a purpose in this world where he could serve the justice he had dedicated his life to… there was no need to even debate that. He would just have to act a little sneakier about it.

How such a heavy looking behemoth, tall and near shaking the snow around him was able to move so swiftly seemingly defied the laws of physics, a small smirk threatening to appear upon his lips before a schooled visage fell under the metal. There was a reason he wore the armour and the light grating noise that echoed within it served as a good reminder. If there was any chance that the suit would hinder his abilities, he would simply have to train to fight beyond them, simple as that. Of course, he didn't exactly need his treasured sword at his side, the gauntlets strangely splitting in half in order to reveal what was held inside, but to reveal such a trump card so early was tantamount to death; people could do a lot when they knew of you at your strongest.

"Perhaps… Japan. After all, it seems to always be the place where trouble brews." The man sighed, returning his blade to the sheathe. It would be a long walk no doubt from the snowy area, but maybe it would all be worth it at the end.

* * *

To Takumi's eyes, Rias Gremory was a… sharp woman. She certainly had an enviable figure to her, one that no doubt drew the eyes of hundreds of young men towards her and it was clear from the crimson sheen behind her that she took great pride in the appearance that looked surprisingly natural for something so easily ethereal. But then there was her stance. It didn't hold the lackadaisical joy of children in school, but it stood straight and left no weakness on show. There was no ignoring the way the cerulean orbs lightly bounced to and fro around them and the slight movements of her lips in a silent mutter. Her hand kept twitching as well – why?

This wasn't what a high school child was meant to be; he had been through the whole thing! They were meant to be free, only caring about the next test, working towards their future while only wondering about the relationships that were forming between Suki, Hana and Ryuji. How she could remain so frosty despite the warm smile, so inherently… wrong in his eyes even with the welcoming tone, Takumi wouldn't know; as the librarian, he had become used, almost immunised, to the strange figures that would wonder in through rather strange circumstances, but there weren't any signs of poverty or the like – in fact, there was no stating that she was anything over than rich, so what sort of ailments heralded her?

"So what did you want Rias?" Issei eagerly asked, his prior sadness evaporated like steam at the sight of a pretty young girl. How people like that could change so easily was almost inhumane, but at least it meant he wouldn't need to do as much questioning to find out what he wanted. "Do you remember the girl called Yuuma!? I could only find Takumi who could; he saw me at the end of our… date."

"Really? I'm quite surprised; after all, I'm fairly certain that there was a girl along that sort of name that came to our school…" Rias mused with a hand to her forehead, the little smirk that was borne upon her face making the brown haired librarian feel a little uneasy. Once again, the little schoolgirl didn't seem to be entirely as friendly as she made herself… Or maybe it was just his old fashioned thinking. He hadn't been to school for a while; maybe this was what high school was like nowadays! Perhaps he was just being paranoid about a stranger he had yet to speak with or even interact with save for a lovely little collision. "I don't think I could remember it that easily though… perhaps if you were to come with me to the Occult Research club, I could find something. You see, I'm friends with the Student Council President, so I can check to see if she at least came to this school if nothing else."

Even with Issei's widening eyes, the mere fact that Rias held some form of recollection reinforcing the fact that she was real despite the fact that he had already confirmed her… passing with him, Takumi couldn't help the small narrowing of his eyes that came as a response. Even someone as secluded as him, who could pass off everything as simple paranoia couldn't help but see the clear objective in her eyes. Just because they were classmates, it didn't mean that the glasses wearing man was just about to let the younger brunette be… seduced, for the slight crossing of arms did wonders to emphasise the size of her assets, into going wherever she wanted.

"I'm afraid that I was going to take Issei back home. He hasn't exactly been well recently and he's just been faced by a personal matter. I don't think it would be wise to go now." Takumi politely interrupted, a hand held out between the two students. So long as he kept this whole encounter diplomatic, there was little chance of it going wrong, right? That pleasant smile remained, even if it did turn a little bit sour by the upturning of her lips, but Rias was wise enough not to let it reach her face.

"Ah, I see then. Well, perhaps we can discuss this another time then? I can't help but want to speak with you now that I know of your predicament." What a smooth job. That friendly smile would easily make any boy rush towards whether she wanted them and they both new Issei would gladly go dashing to this Occult Research club without issue.

"Of course! I'm sure I could do it tomorrow!" the brunette boy exuberantly declared, a fist raised to the sky in promise as Takumi rubbed his palm against his face in despair. The power of perversion persuasion was more than enticing, but to see the boy before in tears now happily screaming his plans to the heavens above… just how did some people do it? Rias left easily enough, a near practiced strut to her movements Attracting Issei's eyes to the bounce of her back, a small sigh escaping the librarian as a hand to the collar pulled a now crying once more Issei away; whether it was for the same reasons was a completely different story of course.

"I can't believe that it is even physically possible for a human being to go through such a drastic transformation within the period of a few seconds." Takumi deadpanned, a small wince passing through at the flinch he felt at Issei's collar. Must've heard that one a lot of the time then. "Well, looks like your little rest period is going to be a bit shorter if you plan on going to that girl's tea party tomorrow. Who was she anyway?"

Perhaps that was a bit of a dangerous question to ask as Issei leapt to his feet proper, turning around with a near apocalyptic face as he felt his pervert pride (for there was nothing else Takumi could call it without being more offensive) rising to unheard levels.

"You don't know who that girl is!? She's Rias Gremory! She's one of Kuoh's Great older sisters, she's loved by everyone!" Issei gushed, the first hints of blood arriving at his nostrils forcing Takumi to turn away in agony as the boy continued. "She's incredibly skilled at the classes and there's almost nobody who can beat her at sports; the club she runs is so personal that even getting an invite for a chat in the place means I'm grea- Hey, are you even listening!?"

"I don't go to Kuoh Academy Issei, but you're speaking as if I should know these things." Takumi reminded with a sigh. Back when he was going to school, Kuoh Academy had still been an all-girls school, meaning he couldn't have gone anyway, not without looking like a right fool – and he already had troubles speaking to people, who knew what sort of hell going to an all-girls school as the one boy would've been like! "Now come on, I've got people to get back to and I thought you needed to have some time, but if you're going to be like that, I just might leave you in the streets!"

"Hey, hang on! Don't be a bastard about such a serious topic!"

A small tune passed by Rias' lips as she wandered back towards the school, a little detour allowing her the time for herself that she so eagerly enjoyed. Of course, spending time with her precious little servants was a pleasurable experience as well, but no one would be able to understand a person more than themselves. She hadn't been expecting anyone else other than the devils to have been aware of Raynare's existence, but the fact that there was another man there certainly explained the facts. The ability to interact with both water and plants would make him excellent bishop and it would certainly save her the hassle of having to erase someone's memories.

But it was rather strange upon further contemplation. After all, he had no overt signs of knowing who she was despite the fact that her family held joint ownership over Kuoh and despite her efforts, there was little to no sense of magic within the man, let alone enough to leave the ambient air of it like what had existed at the park. If he had been there at the time, it must've been a short visit if he were a normal person, but that would be incredibly random for him to be the only one to remember such a thing then.

It wouldn't matter in the long run however. Rias had already taken note of the fallen angel planning on attacking the pair and she was suppressing her power enough that he would remain unaware of her presence until he had murdered the two of them. If that man had done anything to prove himself useful, she still had another bishop piece left to utilise and if not, then it was simply another innocent casualty to remove. Until the time came, she would simply watch the final judgement to see where the pair would end up, one in their new life and the other upon the end of their old.

* * *

The night was dark by the time they made it back to Issei's home, the streets quiet with only the buzz of the street lamps to fill the silent air. If he wasn't so sure that the girls would be able to protect themselves (and for all he knew, they were following him again and they would pop out at the most inopportune time), then he wouldn't have kept with the boy, but there was still a pretty big chance that something could spark a memory, just a little trigger that could have him unable to help himself. They just needed to make this final stretch!

"Well, isn't this unfortunate? Here I am running into a little someone like you when you're courting a client. I still can't believe your kind do that." A dark voice muttered from beneath the rim of a face shadowing hat, the large trench coat not allowing any sight of the man beneath as he stepped through the shadows. Why did this sort of thing have to keep happening? He just wanted to go home for a normal night after last time, don't do this to Takumi again! All it required from the man was a single glare from violet orbs to have a trembling Issei backing away, only for Takumi to let out a cry as he dashed back, barely able to catch the brunette boy's weight. Just how did he manage to do such a thing!? The last thing he knew, Issei was just about the average kind of person, no large athletic skills to speak of!

"So, you're just going to shrink away, run for your life while your little friend here dies in your place. What a cowardly creature." The man mocked with a scoff, lifting into the air at the librarian's first call of 'Run!'. It didn't take long before the glasses wearing man took notice of the black feathers that rained down on them from above, the sky practically morphing into a pale-ish purple as he heard the stumble of Issei, painful reminders decorating their vision as they ran. Fortunately, the man stopped his little torture game, most likely because he had another way of doing while launching straight at the ground, the two thrown away by the sudden flaring of black wings that glistened with the same sheen of Raynare's, Issei somehow managing to land on his feet as Takumi tumbled backwards.

"It's scenarios like this that show just why I can't abide lower class beings." The man sighed as he placed a hand upon his hat, tilting it up to reveal the weathered face beneath. "Now that you're out with a client, your friends and master are nowhere to be found and for some strange reason, you're not showing any signs of disappearing nor are any magic circles being deployed. I can only say through my analysis that you are a stray trying to cling onto an old life, meaning killing you won't prove too much of an issue!"

The hand that held onto the fedora suddenly crackled with energy, bending and weaving itself around the enemy's arm to form a demented lance, just as Raynare had done before. In the face of the death once more, there was only one thing a shaking Takumi could do, even as Issei bared his fists foolishly. If he didn't act now, there was a good chance that spear would go through the both of them, and he highly doubted Issei could do his little perfect healing trick twice in a row!

"Jack! Alice! I know you can hear me! Do what you did last time!" he screamed to the heavens, loud enough to make even their opponent pause in his tracks. A great smirk burst onto the fallen angel's face however at the desperate call, his arm lowering slightly as a deep chuckle escaped him.

"Do you really expect something like that to help you now?" he boisterously laughed, the arm holding the glowing weapon rising to do its job once more, the man drinking in the abhorrent fear that emanated through Takumi's bones. Had they refused to do what they did last time? Was he truly going to die after he told them to wait, just like what should've happened last time? Was this karma coming to kick him in the ass for trying to circumvent the death that had been planned for him before? "Now then, both of you… die like the dogs you are!"

"Alice."

"Okay! With a one, and a two, and a three, and a wheee!"

If one was to ask what impression Alice had given on that god forsaken night, perhaps Takumi could've given several different definitions. A witch hiding in a child's body, a perverted imagination given form, a rough living monster that had managed to overtake an innocent soul. With the incredibly scene before him however, there was nothing else but the truth in his mind.

Alice truly was an innocent young girl with too much power.

Had she have chosen any other form of power to embolden Jack's movement with, maybe she could've appeared as a great number of things. A magician beyond all others. An angel. A god. So when she sent Jack flying forward in a burst of purple, strange toys and flowers leaving a glowing trial as the assassin-made-shooting-star shot forward, there was nothing but a chuckle that could've escaped Takumi's lips. What else could you do? It was clearly a young girl's first choice, no thought, just 'Well, we can't do a rainbow so…' as the white haired servant of the shadows launched into the spear of light, completely shattering the weapon. A second turn had Jack's blades whipping around, the man leaping back at the deep lacerations that dug into his hand. It was but a second later before great tentacles of green wrapped around his appendages, the slithery plants oozing as they tightened their iron grip.

"The hell is this!?" the man roared, a second glowing weapon formed in his hand as he tore away at the plant tendrils that locked his body in place, throwing away the knives that threatened to cut into him once more. Jack was a spry little thing, but as long as an opponent could still keep a track of her movements, there was little she could do apart from get in the surprise slash that forced his chin upward away from the shooting stream of blood, the second strike digging into his stomach.

"Master, we answered your call." Alice intoned, a strangely polite and formal tone that certainly didn't match the youthful voice speaking them. Issei was struck frozen by the incredible ease that the girls fought in, Jack having swapped her usual outfit for the ripped jeans and grey t shirt that practically wafted off of her body, terrible for fighting in, but completely fine for someone who specialised in surprise strikes. How such a casually dressed child could so easily swing those blades around was anyone's guess, Alice practically looking like she was conducting an orchestra as she commanded her plants to writhe around the man, the fallen angel striking madly with his summoned spear to sever the tentacles that threatened him. "And now it's time to play! Can we go all out?"

"Go all out?" Issei parroted as his eyes flashed between the violet orbs that looked playfully towards the pair of them and the vicious fight that had broken out between the seemingly deranged knife wielding girl and the older man. Their weapons flashed as Jack became a blur of metal, the lance purely managing to succeed through the sheer size and little alterations the man made to his stance. If they were to use similar sized weapons, there was no denying the speed at which Jack's manic slashes would've put the man down. Indeed, a round arc had his knee oozing out the life liquid, Jack merely receiving the edge of the lance near the forehead as reward, the cut letting no blood loose as a wisp escaped the hole formed. "You mean that isn't you going all out!? Kids like you have more!?"

A small pout escaped her at that accusation. How a girl could pout as if she was being denied the candy she had worked so hard to get when her friend as also battling an armed older man evenly, if not with an advantage, was a questioned Takumi would be hard pressed to solve as he wiped down his glasses, looking to the foul fallen before him. It was at that moment when his mouth fell open and he was dashing forward, the small body flying through the air being caught in his hands, only a small stumble to his step as he helped Jack back to her feet, taking little note of the cuts that had formed within her clothing.

"Jack, can you do that thing you did last time?" Takumi questioned, a curt nod escaping the white haired assassin as she stepped forward with closed eyes, a small shimmer appearing before her fingers before what appeared to an old lantern, one which would be found in years long gone lit by candle light. At the sight, there was nothing for the older man to do but laugh away, the antique barely able to keep itself aglow in the face of the troubled night. For Takumi however, it was a completely different thing to witness, the effects of what was to come all too fresh within his mind while the male fallen was nowhere to be seen at the time and Issei had already (supposedly) passed away when it had descended into chaos.

"It doesn't hold the feel of a sacred gear… tell me, what is your pitiful lamp going to do for you? It can barely even keep itself alive!" the man guffawed as he dropped his weapon, letting the lance fall to pieces of light at his feet while a small frown made its way to Jack's face. Even Issei le his mouth shut immediately in the face of those stern eyes, a small tut passing the youthful lips as she held the lantern higher, the only illumination for her face as the sky suddenly darkened. Even the man suddenly bringing out his weapon wasn't enough to light the area even a few centimetres before him, though it was a simple task to view the light that shone in the lantern now. A single flick had one of the shutters open wide, the flame revealed to the open air as a small finger gave it a delicate poke, the dancing flame completely changed with but a few words.

 _The mist: Darkened misty metropolis._

There was barely a second to spare for the billowing smoke began to pour out of the lantern, the man before them taking a step back as he saw the wave of grey that threatened to consume him. Issei too was ready to run off, but it was only the librarian's frightened hand that prevented him from making his way out, much to Issei's discernment.

"Look, if you try and run away, who knows what's going to happen to you!?" the librarian hissed, looking to where Jack smirked from her place behind the smoke billowing lantern. "All I know is, she's able to make a circle around me when she knows where I am and the smoke is incredibly toxic. If you run out there, there's no saying that you won't breathe some in before she could get to you!"

That was enough to get the boy to pause. After all, he had already been through what he believed to be one horrific death; adding in another to his count would be both a great and incredibly disturbing boasting point. There was almost no end to the relentless mist that poured out of the little vessel, the man's enraged cries as the hums of light swinging through the air barely managed to break through the harsh sound of mist. Alice was completely unperturbed as she practically played within the grey field, her hand moving through the fog with little effort even when there was a perfectly fine circle to stand within. To see the girl randomly pop out before them with a giggle, only to disappear once more into the opaque and reappear at another completely different place with a 'peek-a-boo!' was quite strange, but even the younger brunette couldn't help but let a smile break out at that.

And just maybe, that was the reason why she did it. There was no hiding the distress present within Issei when met with the idea of a second death, so having the relaxing atmosphere of a child playing about without a second care in the world, even in such a tense situation, could alleviate at least some of the fear that had built up within him. Takumi was left to wonder how perceptive these little girls were to find a way even in the dark times ahead of them to bring a little joy to the ones under their protection even as the threat they faced was practically roaring in aggravation before them somewhere in the mist. Admittedly, there was little change to the way that he cried, the toxins within doing little apart from slowing down the swings from the sounds of things.

Jack let out a little smirk as she shared a look with Alice, a nod from the caster letting her walk casually into the darkness that swallowed the rest of the area. With the boy safe for now, there was no reason for the assassin to hold back of course, right? The little knives in her hand were so much more dangerous as her smirk grew larger, her fingers twitching as they prepared themselves for the coming battle. What sort of adversity would they face? The man had been able to keep up easily with her when she had held back and let her little surprise advantage fall away, but now they were in her territory. Anything could happen and she was the one who was in control, how marvellous a feeling was that!? But there was no time left for talking, not when there was someone who wanted to hurt her father within her grasp. Perhaps he was not the mother she desired, but Jack would be able to find the right womb to return to eventually; until they reached that point though, she would fight to protect the family she had now, a sort of sister and her father's friend.

Dohnaseek let his weapon halt, if just for a small time, when he heard the crazed cackle ring out.

* * *

When Dohnaseek had chanced upon the boy Raynare had tried to kill, there was no denying the fact that the female fallen was dead, no matter how much the others tried to protest the fact. At that point, it was no longer just the elimination of a potential threat, but a personal matter; revenge for the one who died for her duty at foul hands. The boy was clearly now a devil and he already appeared to be courting a client as they had chosen to do rather than the quite barbaric practices of the past, but that was no matter; in a population within the billions, how was one man to be missed all that greatly?

But now the fallen angel found himself within the mist that had spewed out of the lantern of the little girl and now he was feeling the sluggishness that came to his limbs. It was clear that there was some form of poison within the gas surrounding, but there was little he could do now that he had already consumed so much of it and it did little save from make him a small bit slower – such a thig wasn't too much of a hassle, right? The grip upon a weapon of light was tightened as he kept his eyes trained in the area around him; no matter how opaque you made the area around you, there was still the brief moment they would need to get close enough to attack and with the tiny little daggers the girl held, there was no chance she could attack before he had the time to defend himself.

But then the deranged laughter came and there was no warning. How she could be in so many places at one time was completely foreign to Dohnaseek, for there was simply no physical way a little girl could manoeuvre about in such thick fog without issue. Not a second's warning would come before great gashes opened themselves around his body, a cry escaping each time he felt his own life force escape his body. It was inhumane the way the daggers dug into his flesh, shred and tearing away without remorse as they decimated his body, an absolutely open target as crimson filled his vision.

There was barely a second to raise his weapon in defence before the numerous slashes broke it to pieces without effort, the smallest glint of steel coming before both of his eyes were effortlessly torn to pieces, the gore flying forward, not that anyone other than Jack could see the side effect. The same vicious effect was repeated all around his body, the open wings lucky enough to have each of their feathers excruciatingly plucked from their place to a chorus of childish laughter, even that not being enough to make the little assassin pause in her vicious slicing of her body. To feel the extravagant agony of having a piece of you plucked out one precious part at a time while several knives shredded their way through delicate flesh was no pleasant feeling, yet it was as if there was no end to the torture.

All throughout the assault, there was nothing to come but childlike laughter and taunts, the youthful voice clearly belonging to no other than the demented demon that was attacking him lie so. Every searing strike, each pinion plucked bare, there was an exuberance that could only come from the young and inexperienced, a small gasp of joy escaping a shadowed lip whenever they managed to find a particularly painful place to pierce.

 _No matter where you hide, you'll find_

 _A little girl waiting, her kind_

 _Are tough as nails, cute as a daisy_

 _And only just a little bit crazy!_

 _They'll hunt you down, bring you back_

 _Sever your tendons as a snack_

 _And after they grind you into the mud_

 _They'll go back home soaked with your blood!_

They dared mock a fallen angel!? They were the greatest race Christianity had to offer, the perks of both the dark and the light at their side! To let such a little child make fun of them, another easily taunting from the safety of outside the sickening smog was unthinkable! Slashing out madly with the two light spears at his side, he didn't need his sight to try and hit his target, the devil of a child jumping about like a madman around Dohnaseek's attacks. There was no time at all before he was bought to his knees the blood draining from his body to form the puddle around him, shallow breaths forcefully taken in order to keep himself alive as the fog dismissed itself, a cheerfully blood soaked Jack standing before Takumi with a proud smile on his face. It was all Issei could do not to vomit on the spot, the librarian rubbing a cautious hand over Jack's head, the white haired girl quite content with the action.

"So that's what you're capable of. I must admit, when I thought there was magician activity, I had certainly not been expecting that at all." A feminine voice remarked as the sound of energy filled their ears, the two boys turning their way to where Rias Gremory strutted forward without reservation, regardless of the blood that stained the ground before them. "I've never seen a fallen angel left in such a devastated state… I'm glad to have kept my eye on you."

"Kept your eye on us? How could you've kept your eye on us?" Takumi questioned, pushing up the glasses that threatened to fall off as he stomped forward, the idea of such a young girl also having to witness the grotesque scene rather unsavoury to the brown haired man. "Look, you should probably get out of here, it's not safe at the moment and even like that, there's no idea what he could do at an-!"

Naturally, his words were broken by the way Alice immediately pushed her way forward as the leather like wings burst forward, a gleeful glint entering the redhead's eyes.

"Maybe we could hold that conversation today now Issei? Do you wish to join?"

* * *

 **Right, let's end things there for now. What are we thinking? Is that alright to you lot? Right now I have an idea of a potential two more additions that could come, but those aren't certain just yet. Of course, there's also a nice little chat coming up, so please look forward to that!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	4. Chapter 4 - the talk

**Hey there folks. It's always nice to see that the prior chapter was taken so well, and now we have the lovely conversation between Rias and the boys to have! Now, once more I must do a little Elwyn's explanation corner for what I have done in the story, so please bare with me.**

 **I have made this a little bit weird because I don't usually write gore, but this features something close to that, so please be somewhat cautious if you have squeamish tendencies and are easily dIsMeMbErEd. I just felt that seeing as this is the approach to halloween, might as well add a bit more scary stuff quicker, not for you, but for the characters at least. As well, Nursery Rhyme. Please remember that she moulds herself upon the summoner, so she's different than normal. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Tapio, are you ready to meet the next of your brethren? The Deva of darkness will soon rise and he's got his eyes on you..._

 _Tapio: I should show caution when interacting with their kind. They have a dark aura about them..._

 _Takumi: Of course I would. I'm scared for the girl's which is kinda stupid in hindsight..._

 _Tapio: Still, I will show my support. Leave no slack!_

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

Takumi wasn't exactly well versed when it came to architecture, but there was no hiding the fact that the décor within the Occult Research club bore no resemblance to Japanese work, not even that of the rest of the school itself. With the dark sky above, there was only the light of an archaic chandelier to give the muted room its glow, an incredibly clear western influence reigning supreme. The librarian reluctantly sat himself down upon one of the plush sofas that lined the centre of the room, the little coffee table between the two seats baring nothing before a delicate hand laid down the beautiful cup, the brown haired man following the limb until he caught a glimpse of the playful violet eyes, long black strands flowing down the back of a teenager easily classed as one of the most beautiful her age.

"I hope it's too your liking. I made sure to place my all into it seeing as we have a guest." The girl giggled, giving a small bow as she placed a second serving of the lovely smelling tea before Issei, though the boy seemed all too eager to keep his eyes upon her rather bountiful assets, similar to that of Rias if not bigger. There was being a teenager and then there was being overly amorous, placing your all into taking in the female body with all of its glory; how Issei was able to find some sort of level even above that was incredible in its own way. "My name is Akeno, and I hope that we can get along!"

"My apologies president. We needed to make a stop off before we could return." A light voice declared, a blond haired boy easily holding open the door for what appeared to be a child, the white haired amber eyed girl no taller than perhaps the lower half of his chest. Clearly the shortest save for the two actual children, there was little emotion to her eyes as they fell over Takumi's body, her fingers never pausing in their monotonous feeding from a sundae held in hand. The blond was quick to take a seat upon the other sofa, the sundae placed down with all the care in the world before the white haired girl continued to pay no regard to the four visitors within their room. "Ah, allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Kiba, and this is Koneko. Please, do not feel offended if she doesn't pay you too much regard; she can be somewhat cold to new presences."

"Well then, now that we are all gathered, we can begin." Rias declared, the redheaded school girl elegantly seating herself behind a grandiose desk of oak, a few papers sorted through before her hands were quick to pluck out a single sheet, Takumi letting a hand fall upon Jack's head to ease her obvious tension. Alice, less frozen than Jack, was perfectly happy to position herself between Issei and her master, an unknown tune upon her lips as she played with the teddy bear the girl magically brought forth from behind her back; she didn't have that before, so where had the toy come from. "I suppose I must explain something to you Issei. Do you believe in the supernatural? Things that go beyond human understanding, that break the ideas that people have built up over countless years?"

"Err… I guess I can't say no after all I've seen now…" Issei mused with a finger scratching absently at his cheek, Takumi giving a silent nod of respect. That was probably the lightest way to put it, considering all of the hell that boy had been through. The only reason he himself had been able to survive was the two girls that surrounded his sides, but Issei had nothing to protect himself with. "So… you're just like them? Are you going to kill us!?"

Had it been any other, perhaps the accusation would've been taken with the offense that it should've brought, a claim of murder being an incredibly heavy thing to say. Takumi would've immediately scolded the younger brunette for the way he reacted, most likely adding in a scuff around the side of his head for emphasise as he apologised on his behalf. In this situation however, with the chuckle that escaped the blue eyed president of the Occult Research club, Takumi wouldn't be too quick to deny the accusation as the girl rose to her feet, silence falling save for the tapping of feet against the ground. The joviality to her look was almost venomous, but the sugar that coated it thanks to her beauty was enough to distract Issei.

"I can happily tell you that we're not going to kill you and we're nothing like the fallen angels." Rias cheerfully corrected, a moment of relief coming to the younger brunette before Takumi could warn him of the playful glint to the girl's eyes as she stepped backward. "We're devils. Including you."

That explained something. Why he had been able to come back after his apparent death. How he had been able to jump back so large a distance during the previous encounter with the fallen angel; Issei had been some sort of existence beyond what he could've understood. Maybe he was taking this a little two easily, but the girls had appeared out of a shining light in the middle of the library, surely there was more to be expected of the world? Of course, there was also the great leathery wings that burst out of the backs of everyone save for the youngest girls and Takumi, Issei taking a moment of silence before a high pitched scream escaped him. The librarian couldn't help but take note of how Rias didn't seem surprised by his lack of reaction, but it was understandable seeing as she apparently had first-hand knowledge of what they were able to do thanks to the little scuffle they managed to get in before.

"I suppose that you could say the Occult Research club is a mere façade, little more than a hobby." Kiba quipped from the side-lines, scratching the side of his cheek with a small chuckle. "After all, there is no need to truly research that which you are a part of."

"Though I'm certain you know, the ones you faced were fallen angels, once angels serving God, but cast down to the underworld due to their wicked nature." Rias explained as she stood, crossing her arms beneath her bust to have Issei's tongue wagging again. There was no way the girl couldn't know what she was doing with such a move, but if she was going to try a similar thing with Takumi, it most certainly would not work! After all, he had already seen that sort of thing before – he didn't need some sort of superficial motivation and if that was all the girl could offer, than it was no thank you. "When you add in the fact that there are angels who work upon God's orders to hunt demons like us down, then you have a three way stand-off. Pretty simple, right?"

"…I should be taking this way harder, but I just can't." Issei sighed, burying his face in his hands. It wasn't hard to sympathise with the brunette, even if he did have that rather detestable obsession with the female body, he had been thrust into a situation he had been completely unaware about. The only reason Takumi showed so much serenity was the fact that he had become rather good at placing on a mask when dealing with strange characters and already knew the tale behind the Christian factions. His serenity however was broken when the image fell lightly upon the table, a light flick from Rias having it fly just to beneath Issei's eyes, something that had the two of them gasping.

"Now, Yuuma Amano. That girl, that fallen angel, she belongs to the same faction that assaulted you before. It appears her allies were able to erase the memories of the majority of the academy students who saw her, leaving only a… _select_ few who could even recall her name." the image was at a rather strange angle, having to peer through several different spaces between casually walking people to reveal Issei and Yuuma together. How different she appeared to Takumi from the woman who had been borne through a weird transformation, no wings, no evil glint to her eye. Several more images had the librarian freaking out however; for how long had this group been stalking Issei to keep a track of this fallen angel!? "Her job had been to eliminate you while checking to see if you have a certain dangerous object in your body and even though she lost her life in the process, she still managed to complete her given task. Thus, all memory of her involvement was destroyed."

"I recall her saying something about… a sacred something." Takumi stated, the taunt of his seemingly coming death still fairly burnt into his mind. How frightening it had been to be in the face of a killer, her initial target struck down before her and ready for the next to join it. Rias' smirk enlarged at the declaration, a nod coming from her as she turned to Akeno, the black haired girl needing no prompting before she spoke.

"Sacred Gear, an unusual power that comes to reside within certain humans. It is said that a large number of history's greatest men have come to possess one and it could even ne said that they hold power formidable enough to allow humans to threaten even devils and fallen angels." Akeno stated from her place behind Koneko, Issei's face remaining blank as the girl gave a little giggle. "It appears that the power resides in you Issei."

"Please, raise your left arm." Rias instructed while moving to one of the shelves in front of the table, the boy hesitating before he lifted the limb. "Close your eyes and imagine the strongest being that comes to mind. All you have to do is focus hard upon that being."

What was that girl trying to do? He was tempted to call her out on the obvious baiting of her position, even Takumi getting a glimpse of the black fabric between her legs, but there had to be a purpose for doing such a thing. After all, she had proven herself well aware of her actions by pandering to Issei's perverted desires whenever she needed something done by the boy, but wouldn't letting such a thing be visible be highly distracting, ultimately the opposite of what she was aiming to do? It would take a brief moment for Takumi to realise, the thought hitting him hard and suddenly. It was a test, one designed to see if he could go past his innate desires, but with the sheer amount of pain on the boy's face and the lack of results, it wasn't exactly proving itself to be all that successful.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter if you can't awaken it right now. We can still be certain that it at least resides within you though, for the fallen angels wouldn't have killed you for holding it." Rias declared after a few moments waiting, her standing body removing the one distraction that was holding him back.

"How can you be so sure that they killed me though? I guess what I'm trying to say is… why am I actually still alive right now?" Issei questioned in return, a reasonable question in the face of what he was told. Could he have been a part of some sort of secret resurrection ritual that had involved sacrifices given in return for his own life? Had they poured some sort of foul energy into Issei's very veins to transform him into this devilish form? Though he wasn't truly showing it on his face, Takumi was more than a little excited as he held Jack and Alice close to him. The response was Rias reaching behind her, a small pamphlet waved lazily in her hand.

"That would be through this. You summoned me from one of these fliers moments before you died." The redheaded school girl explained. "Though there was something that blocked me from approaching immediately, a thick concentration of magical energy that blocked my transportation I was able to appear before you. You've been reborn into the household of Rias Gremory, daughter of Duke Gremory – an upper class devil, as my servant."

Servant… that word didn't seem right in his mind. To hear someone become a servant in the modern was an extremely archaic thing, rare for no one would willingly call themselves lower than another unless they had to, such as in jobs. Surprisingly, it was Alice who reacted first to the claim, the girl bouncing in her seat as she leapt to the ground.

"Issei, you're a servant like us now? That's so cool! But do we have to beat you up?" the white haired girl emphatically asked, bouncing upon the balls of her feet as Issei turned a frightened eye to the little girl, Jack coming from her lax position as her hands casually fell upon the blades. Though there was no lamp to add to the atmosphere, Issei still remained completely aware of what the two little demons were capable of and if they suddenly had their eyes upon his body for being called out as a servant, then he was in the red zone.

"Hey, why would you have to beat me up!?" the younger brunette objected, jumping back while Takumi leapt up to pull the two back to Rias' entertainment. The others within the building remained quiet as the redheaded president of the Occult Research club look down towards the standing children, Takumi easily taking note of the great calculating look she could hold without breaking the mask she had placed on herself, looking as if she was doing no more than simply admiring the children for being children.

"Well, that certainly lets us turn to our next topic of interest. I was wondering what the relationship between you and those girls was; you certain share very little in the body resemblance, but if you're their master, then that makes more sense." Rias declared, a small clap of her hands having heads turn to where Takumi was frantically shaking his hands, Akeno unable to hold back the little chuckle that escaped her.

"No, I am not their master or something like that, even if they call me that…" the librarian objected, pushing back upon his glasses with a tiny cough. "They just appeared in the library without any parents to speak of, no home to return to and just the clothes upon their backs. I couldn't exactly ignore something like that, could I?"

"But master is master! Even if Master is our father, father can be our master as well!" Alice corrected, her hands upon her hips as a pout found its way to her face. Jack nodded eagerly at her side as Rias gently approached, bowing down to their height as she held out a hand, the unvoiced request being granted by Alice as it descended upon her head; with jack and her blades behind the girl, there was no way she would be stupid enough to try attacking.

"They are very cute, but there's no doubt that they're the ones who were the cause of the energy surge around the park on the day of Raynare's disappearance. They're remarkably dangerous." Takumi was willing to say the same thing about her statement, the girls looking somewhat of put being called that. Of course, there was no denying that they were dangerous, but to have it so clearly stated in what could easily be construed for a patronising tone was not something they could easily enjoy.

"Well, I can agree with you on the cuteness. As long as you don't do anything to upset them, well, that's when things can get a lot more dangerous." Takumi joked, Alice letting loose a giggle, though Jack didn't let her face change. Though she may have let the seemingly nice girl approach to reaching distance, it didn't settle the unease she felt at another being so close to her master and friend. "As for what they did… Well, I couldn't explain it to you even if I wanted to."

Now that had her eyebrow perking. Surely she of all people could realise that he wasn't going to give up the powers at the young girls' disposal so easily after all? The librarian wasn't exactly going to go around poking and prodding the two of them to find out the reason for why they could do what they do and he had never found a need to learn of their full capability; they seemed perfectly able to battle on their own and show off what they desired. It certainly did what they aimed to do, far too brilliantly.

"That is understandable, though that doesn't mean I can't ask. Will it be possible, as the master of these young two girls, for me to borrow their powers should I need them? They would naturally come under your command and stay under your residence, but I would be able to call upon their assistance should I need it." Rias suggested suddenly, her eyes turning with a small smile to Takumi as they met each other's looks. Akeno let a small amount of her surprise enter her face, Kiba looking distinctly uncomfortable as well, though Koneko showed no response as she chowed down upon her desert while Issei watched just as confused as the librarian. "I can assure you, we would be able to match a wide variety of your desires, so you may wish for a great many of things in return."

And that was when the pain started.

Takumi's head had been quite content before, only a little niggling feeling upon the back of his mind when the girls had first appeared before him, but that had only drawn a little attention from the brunette with all that had occurred in the sort period before thus little meeting. It wouldn't take more than a second however for the blazing fire to sear away at his mind, the man clutching the burning forehead with a held back scream. They were relentless, physically trying to wretch the morals from his mind so that they could force an entirely different perspective upon him. Different ideals wrought a fierce battle within the sea of his soul, thoughts upon the proposition flickering without rest.

The rest of the Occult Research club were fairly surprised when the reaction started, most of all Rias. She had been told that such a thing would cause no effect upon the humans that they used it on, being an actively encouraged deterrence method should someone find themselves in a situation that could not be explained. To see it affect someone so extremely was practically unheard of, even with the stories of the crueller of their kind flying under the table. Whether it was a man preparing to commit the vilest acts imaginable or merely persuading someone to give just a little bit more, there had always been a mellow, strange at most, response, never the fierce pain that was battling with Takumi as the others watched useless. Perhaps the worst part is, the spell usually continued until the user utilised the reversal spell, though Rias was now remembering something now more than ever before. She thought she would only utilise the hypnosis spell for small issues and because there were so few reported effects, there was never a need to learn the counter…

And thus the fires burned, a cry of agony escaping the librarian as he involuntarily threw himself to the ground, Issei quick to rush to his side as Alice moved to turn around. Rias, though she tried to take that crucial step forward, was instead met by the edge of twin knives at her throat, a burning anger gathering at her eyes as the steel inched closer to the flesh beneath. While for any normal devil, it would prove to be no threat at all, the metal clearly too weak to match anything that could pierce a devil's skin if it had been forged by mortal hand, this was no ordinary threat however and it was all too clear to the redhead as she looked down to the irate child before her, Kiba preparing his own blade as discretely as possible. He was still inclined to protect his president, even if it meant hurting a child.

"Stop it."

"I… I cannot…!"

Then, there was silence. It was not brought about by the bliss of unconsciousness, for to be honest, it could not be classed as silence when there was still Takumi's loud heaves of relief that hung within a tense air. Alice let out a small sigh as she moved her hands off of the librarian's body, a small proud nod escaping the white haired caster turned her wrath to where the cause of her master's suffering stood with Jack at her throat. The assassin would be quick should the girl ever think of attempting anything, but that didn't mean the others would stop themselves from trying to hurt her master any further. The only one they could really trust vaguely was Issei, the boy being quick to spring to their father's care.

"I managed to reverse what was done to him, but the damage was dealt. You tried to alter his mind, didn't you?" they had been introduced to the cheerful girl who hadn't seemed to lose her childish innocence even when she did things that shouldn't have been possible to the average young girl, but to see the abstract danger within her youthful face, the way the fist seemed to ooze such violence while remaining so still, the resolute look within her eye… they belonged upon no one and yet the full set was there and their focused upon the group upon the couches, Issei's position beside the quickly recovering Takumi meaning he wasn't exposed to such horror. "Even a useless master wouldn't be affected by such things when there's a good enough Caster to protect their mind, and normally, someone wouldn't be so foolish as to try and do it with an assassin that isn't theirs in close proximity."

"…Is that what you call yourselves? Caster and assassin?" Rias probed gently, the steel unwavering at her neck. One wrong move and it would all be other, but she just couldn't bring herself to stop her questioning. "Assassin is such a strange and wrong thing to call yourself when you're so young, and most people who can utilise magic such as yours would call themselves a magician. Do you not wish to use normal names?"

"For us to use normal names would be to pretend that we are normal people. Though I may do that if father demands someone's death, I do not prefer it to being who I am." Jack wasn't exactly one for speaking with her enemy, not when they were someone who had caused pain to her master and father, but there was simply no other choice; while no words left Takumi, he still did not wish pain or death upon any present. "They, who were born from the souls of a hundred unborn children and their wrath and they, who were born from a concept beloved by the youth able to mould their form to satisfy the desires of the master, those are people who cannot be classed as people even by their own kind."

Caster didn't need to take a step out of place before she was able to use her special ability. It brought a smile to her face as she thought of what she would do, her master sure to be pleased by what Alice would bring to those who were foolish enough to hurt him. The occupants of the Occult Research club would not understand what the words she spoke were before it was too late, their powers ill equipped to prepare them for their coming fate.

" _ **A world of romance.**_

 _ **Truth veiled in lies and lies spouted as truth.**_

 _ **The heart is a fickle thing sometimes.**_

 _ **A crooked swing will cry as it toils.**_

 _ **Relax in a garden of your pleasure.**_

 _ **My Coy Darling."**_

For the people of the building save for those untargeted, the world was a new place for them.

* * *

Rias could not determine why she had brought herself to such a place. Beautiful as it was with its rolling green landscape and peerless clouds, the various trees dotted about bearing fruit of all sorts, there was no reason for her presence in the idyllic place. The redhead took a few tentative steps onto the soft ground beneath, the smallest grains falling between her toes, though it was certainly no an unpleasant experience. In fact, every second made the place appear even more intriguing, her curiosity piqued as she started to move faster and faster. In the distance, a white gazebo glittered, a figure out of sight but clearly awaiting her arrival dressed in white; was her dress a similar colour? She had completely let such a detail go unnoticed as she began to run towards the little stand, smooth stone appearing beneath the bridge.

A little naughty part of her mind was wondering whether it was some sort of date she had forgotten about – she was more than willing to admit that her mind did have a tendency to wonder, so perhaps she had been a bit careless when walking. It would definitely explain how they had made it to such a brilliant place however; such a paradise would make for a wonderful date and the things they could do as they walked, opening up to one another… there were candles placed around as well and come the evening time, they would allow for the most luxurious ambiance – just as she desired of a date! Her little daydream however prevented her from seeing the small smirk that appeared upon the mysterious dream figure's face, the crimson princess of destruction instead choosing to take his hands into her own, a small giggle escaping at the kiss he placed upon both of them.

 _Give up my love, give in to fate,_

 _It's sometimes not the girl who waits._

 _Let's forget for once our duty_

 _And gather up in arms our beauty._

 _For though our days hold to the sun,_

 _it's yet our nights that see us run._

The walk from the pristine gazebo was slow, though it was no less beautiful in the eyes of Rias. There was no doubt that the coming time was going to be her most wonderful and it was only a shame that the others would be unable to experience the same joy as the Occult research club president was feeling; they all had their own inhibitions and little issues that prevented them from finding someone who they were willing to spend the rest of their life with. Oh well, the man at her side was more than enough for Rias to gush about, even if any of his exploits refused to be brought to the front of her mind.

The grass tickled her feet as a sigh escaped Rias. She wasn't exactly sure where she was being led as they danced across a bridge without a single reservation, but the man had nothing for her to doubt. A small smile found its way onto his face, mirrored quickly by the redhead as they entered the forest. With the tweets of the birds as they passed over head and the small critters that ran beside them, the intrigue and curiosity could only build as the lights born down from the sun began to dim, replaced by the light glow of a candle lighting the path for them. So that was what they had been placed down for.

It would only take a small moment however for the heat to begin to get to her. It seemed rather strange, for how would a candle manage to bring such a burning feeling to her skin? A small dab away had the first vestiges of sweat away from her brow, but as the hand clasping hers began to draw away, she caught the first glimpse of the sight awaiting her eyes. How such a thing could've occurred without her at least being notified beforehand was supposedly impossible, but that only spoke of the ability of her opponent.

Kiba's skin fell limp from his body, every inch of the pale flesh rended from his body to reveal the viscous red beneath, muscles and veins exposed for the world to see. Nails dug deep into his hands, the weight of his own body dragging him down so Rias could see the steadily growing holes within the palms that started to leak. His stomach was wonderfully sliced open, the acid held within leaking out to melt down the other exposed organs. Rias could never have claimed to have seen a heart literally beat its final movement before this moment, but it was certainly not something she was planning on seeing alongside all of the muscle and gore that decorated the knight's body.

Akeno's body laid weakly beside a trunk was no better, her stomach too torn open to leak the deadly acid upon the rest of her exposed muscle. The shredded flesh surrounded her like a circle of roses, her hair violently torn from the skull, sometimes even taking pieces of flesh with it, to be thrown onto the bed the violated girl had been given. The once delicate skin that decorated had been sliced off like deli meats, slabs of it thrown haphazardly to the side as her own rib bones sat stuck through her eyes, breasts brutalised as their remains sat useless upon a terrorised chest, barely clinging on.

And then there was Koneko, the nekomata's eyes torn from her face as tears of blood fell to a destroyed jaw, her stomach looking as if a rabid dog had been let go upon it. She shared a familiar feature with Akeno, their wombs violently carved open, though the white haired girl had the honour of having her slashed arms and legs tossed away to the side like no more than useless waste, the resultant blood dying the rest of the forest grass red.

Even poor little Gasper had his hair dyed red by the blood from his chest, hung upside down by a leg that barely struggled to keep attached to the rest of his body by the small slab of flesh still holding on. His heart had been torn out to fall beneath him, the lungs flapping towards his face as if someone had tied limp balloons to his body. Though she dared not approach, she didn't need to in order to see the effect of the chest bones ripped away, stabbing his arms to his side like a soldier forced. The sight was enough to make the crimson princess of destruction want to throw up, uncaring for the flames that steadily approached from the forest surrounding.

Not a single tree was left unaffected as the relentless flames swallowed them whole, the sound of burning wood preventing the screams of innocent animals reaching Rias' ears. There was no sight of the magical man she had been accompanied by as Rias fell to her knees, the bottom of her white burning away to black ashes as they fell to the ground. It wouldn't take long before her sliced up friends would be taken away by the fires as well, the first notions of pain inflicted by the fires already making its way up her legs. She had never really had an experience of burning herself, seeing as all things that could actually do so were usually tended to by the many servants of house Gremory, but the agonising sensation of the flames melting away her flesh while she was still alive was practically excruciating.

"Please… stop." It took all of her power to let that lone cry out, the flames draining her dry as her body fought to keep itself alive. The power of destruction was nothing in the face of fire, unless she risked the chance of disintegrating her own leg, but truly that was not the most painful part of the whole thing. That esteemed position was given to a blond haired man's leering face, his grin still large as the fires didn't touch him at all. Without a single word, he lifted Rias upward, out of the fires yet still with black flesh clinging to her legs. "I… don't deserve this…!"

" _And my father did not deserve what you did to him, but still you committed your foul act."_ It was not the voice of the man she had grown to hate, but the child she had wanted the assistance of. How callously she had acted, believing that the fact that he remained human despite his companions would leave him open to her influence. With hindsight, it was clear that there would be some sort of protection over his mind that would at least have some sort of alarm if such a thing would happen. _"You acted without remorse because you thought he was weak. You didn't think that as a human he would be able to protect himself. That sort of thing is unforgivable to me. So die amongst your shredded loved ones, burning away by the flames your mind seems to so despise. Let this face, the one that signifies your most hated, as his fist rips through your body without remorse; the same pain you inflicted upon him."_

And she was swift with her word, for fires far stronger than the type which blazed upon the weak helpless forest around them tore their way into her womb, searing all that could be found as Rias was made to watch her very blood evaporate from the heat. There was little she could do when the hand decided to move up, agonisingly slow as it sliced her body gently in half, the organs unaffected by the searing glow around the man's hand falling into the fire below. He remained unaffected by the stomach acid that threatened to fall upon his hand, nor did he appear to have an issue with all of the gore that threatened to stain his skin, a pause in the slicing to delicately pluck bones and throw them away as if a dog was o jump up and catch it. There was no end, no rest, for Rias was to remain fully aware of what was happening to her body, only her pleas of desperation being the sign of her still being alive.

Somehow, she managed to try and find the last remnants of her strength in the burning forest, reaching a blood stained hand onto the shirt of the foul man before her, drenching the soft blue in her own blood as a deathly, if weakened, glare met his eyes. It wouldn't last long though, for a squeeze upon her heart had her gasping for breath, a tug upon the spine to bring it forward eliciting another pained response. Such things were never meant to be humanely or even inhumanely possible and thus, the body had no other way to respond other than to cry our against the unnatural treatment, her cries becoming no more than pained sobs as she tried desperately to make the suffering end. Her friends were no more, now ash disintergrated at her feet as the man's mocking laughter filled her ears. She would not be married to him; she would instead be killed in the most excruciating way, unable to defend herself for even a second as he ruthlessly toyed with her still living corpse without an inch of mercy.

"Please… let me go… Make it stop…"

" _You don't deserve it."_

"Make it stop…"

" _You don't deserve it."_

"Make it stop… Make it stop… Make it stop…"

" _Alice, stop!"_

* * *

 **I would say the bookmark can fall there. Yeah, so Alice shows off a different ability for now. I suppose considering what I am doing, I'll need some sort of bibliography to record it because I swear I'm going to forget all that I've done. As well as this, I think I've managed to finalise the last two people I wanted to add, bringing the grand total to... eight? just what on earth could be going on?**

 _My Coy Darling_

 _Because the contents of the reality marble is shifted depending on the user, there is now a far greater repertoire at Nursery Rhyme's disposal due to her summoning under Takumi. It is a world where peace is fury and tranquility is chaos, where one can rest with their loved ones as they both are dragged to hell. Born from the cooperation of Jack the ripper and the new rhymes she has access to, it is one of her more frightening new abilities._

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	5. Chapter 5 - the aftermath

**Greetings friends and... well, not family. I don't know how I feel considering pretty much everyone's reaction to the last chapter was basically 'MOAR! MOAR SUFFER!', but I guess it means I've shown Rias in the right light I was aiming for. Now though, we've got to meet some more key players in this game, so don't let me stop you! Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Deep in the dark, what can you find? Tapio, guide your child to safety!_

 _Tapio: I fear you dive to deep into the mindset of their youth, for you seem to hold no fear._

 _Takumi: It's not that I'm not scared... it's that I know they don't mean too much harm._

 _Tapio: Such a point is truly debatable..._

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

A sly cackle escaped the red coated blonde as she jumped aboard the ship, several crew members going about their day immediately recoiling in disbelief. While they were a cargo ship, meaning there were potentially some places where one could hide themselves, for a woman to appear completely dry and suddenly pop up from the side of the ship halfway through their journey as if she had been there the whole time was still unbelievable. The blonde cut a fearsome figure as her blue eyes bore deep into the rest of the sailors, standing tall above even the greatest person there with a rifle that matched such an unlikely height. The coat of a pirate captain sat upon her voluptuous body, looking the part as she scanned over the group and clearly coming out unimpressed.

"Is this what they call a sailor group? You aren't even armed!" the woman bemoaned, a small gesture of her hand having the large brown rifle cocked and ready to fire, a second one seemingly materialising out of thin air just as ready within her other hand. "Still, I suppose it's more for me and less effort. At least in this form I can do more of the work; Mary deserves a break now and then."

If any of the men milling about frozen had any complaints, then they were soon silenced, the screams mixing in with the rupturing sound of musket fire. Drifting through the smoke like a spectre, the woman easily dispatched the terrified people who ran for their lives, a great leap having her flip in the air to fire down upon her easy prey. How they chose to scatter, some even pushing their friends to her firing line with the thought that she would avoid taking their own lives; she soon taught them the folly of her ways. Even when someone with a firearm chose to respond, it was child's play to avoid the bullets that were sent her way, the pistol nothing in the face of what she had to deal with when it came to one of the greater bounties she had managed to collect. Needless to say, it was a swift death for him.

When the red bound pirate came face to face with the complex systems for the operation of the ship, she wasted no time with the removal of the already present controller – while it would be more than easy to have her by the head with a gun and threaten her way to where she desired to be, there was still the chance of the woman managing to contact some sort of help and forcing the blonde to battle more and though she had the ship necessary, it was far away for now. Fortunately, it was but a glance before she was able to fully comprehend the ship's mechanism, smooth sailing as she messed about with the communications. After all, if her partner was still residing in the first ship they had managed to apprehend, then it would be a simple task of speaking with one another.

" _So you succeeded in getting the ship. Well done."_ It was a blank statement, one punctuated with very little tone to the voice, but the blonde knew when to take a compliment. They had been together for simply far too long to let such a simple thing annoy her and it only took a short while before the red pirate could tell whatever it was that her partner wanted to convey. _"Was it as expected?"_

"Admittedly not as much, but it will definitely keep us going. I'm pretty sure the black market would be happy with some of the stuff we have as well, so That pretty much has us good for a while at least." The blonde declared with a smirk, the inventory already known before she had even set foot upon the ship: various food items as well as different technologies that were either too small for their own individual shipment or placed by a company too cheap to pay out for another. That was the reason why they had chosen this particular raid, with the thought that they would be able to feed themselves as well as make a starting fund – at least they wouldn't need to buy any firearms. "Are you training with your weapon again?"

" _Fundamentals. I'm not used to this version."_ Even now, the red captain could hear the slight displacement of air and the little grunts that found their way down the radio, a chuckle escaping her. There was no reason for her partner to do so considering that she was already just as good as she was when using the original weapon, but the fact that it had been altered meant that she was determined to reach what she believed was her best possible. _"Still, return quickly. We can move to a different area."_

"Yes, America was getting a bit boring. After all, do this too much and they'll stop sending things out. Should we try going to the other side then?" the blonde woman suggested, looking to the radar. It wasn't as if she would come into contact with any other boats and unless they were from the same crew, they wouldn't realise that it had been taken until it was too late. A simple dumping of the bodies would have that little issue dealt with and there wasn't too much blood decorating the decks. "Nice little change of scenery, just like Columbus."

" _Understood. I'll wait."_ And thus the line died down, a small tune finding its way to the woman's mouth as she piloted the ship out as fast as it could go. Sure, she would have to remain within the small area, unlike the boats where she could stay out in the soaring breeze, but the idea was still there and if she felt like it, maybe she would take the risk of going and standing outside anyway. She would soon be too far away for anything other than one or two ships and it would be pretty easy to avoid them.

"Well then, new jackpots, you better get ready! We're coming and we'll do it with a hundred bullets!"

* * *

Alice was but a small girl. Albeit, a small girl with bright violet eyes and the whitest hair he had ever seen on a child even when sat next to the pure sheen of Jack's, but still, no different in appearance from your average child. Thus, it was with great abstract horror that the Occult Research club looked to the caster as she played happily with the book in her lap, the orb in which they viewed the hellish nightmare that Rias had found herself locked in fading away as if nothing more than a mirage. As their leader slumped to the ground near feinted however, none of them could perceive it as such as the redhead clasped her forehead, an apologetic and thankful look in equal measure sent in Takumi's way.

"…To see such a powerful form of illusion magic from one so young… truly, it is something we are somewhat honoured to see." Akeno struggled to say with a giggle, a few breaks coming through in her usual persona. No matter how much of a sadist she was, there were still limits and boundaries to what she could accept and there was no sight of the limit when she had first looked into that morphed realm. How Alice could've heard of both Gasper and Riser was a great mystery, though her ability with mind magicks was a very simple answer to take.

"Scary." The blank tones of Koneko called out, her face giving only the slightest of scowls as she continued to eat her treat. It didn't take much for the older brunette to notice how the white haired school girl's hand trembled as it reached for her spoon, yet she consumed to treat with far more gusto than she had done before; perhaps some sort of coping mechanism through blanketing yourself in what brings you joy. Kiba's eyes also revealed his own fear, though the smile remained on his face as he spoke with little to no issue.

"While I can't exactly call it unwarranted, that illusion was certainly brutal. I can't help but feel somewhat bad for her, having to face something like that." The knight decreed, a small dagger of sorts being flipped within his hands. Whether he had any plans to use it or not, Jack still kept her eyes firmly on the blade, her fingers itching towards her own weapons.

"I wasn't expecting her to do such a cruel thing to her, even in recompense for what she did for me. I don't know if the … devil traditions require anything else, but I give you my greatest apologies." Takumi stated with a small bow, a small wince coming from the headache born from the red head's actions. Still, there was no reason for her to face what she did as Rias picked herself off of the ground, an attempted collected pose merely proving how far such a scenario had managed to affect her.

"I… I can only apologise for what I've done if that is the pain you felt…" the Occult Research club president near whispered with but one eye open, a small shiver passing through her spine. Such an experience was bound to stick with her, despite the fact it was nought but an illusion and Takumi was certain that it would affect her daily life; how would she attempt to explain off the fact that she showed so much hesitation to her step. "I must admit, though Alice shows clear skill with magic, I had thought that as a human, you would be susceptible to mind magicks like any other. I should've thought more clearly."

You shouldn't have tried placing hypnosis on me in the first place. That was what he wished to respond with, but with all of his might, Takumi bit the sour response back. Seeing the way she had treated him before, there was no doubt that it took a lot for her to admit such a thing; she was clearly attempting to put some air of control and superiority in front of her club members just like any other young leader would wish to do, so to continue that sort of façade even when being faced with such atrocious scenery was a choice to begrudgingly respect, if look down upon as well.

"I can't say what I faced was anywhere near to what you seemed to experience in that. Needless to say, we are all fortunate that I stopped Alice before she made such a thing corporeal." The librarian answered while scratching the back of his head, the eyes of the other club members, even Issei, growing even larger. Of course, none of them had borne witness to what the power of the Nameless forest had, meaning they would only imagine it to be a temporary fright tactic.

"Such a thing is possible? I suppose that I should berate my tactics even more, seeing as it means I have lost out on such an immense power. I have no doubts that Jack could display something similarly fearsome as well." Rias praised, taking a seat with only a little bit of assistance from Akeno. "Perhaps it is a bit early to do such a thing, but would it not be possible for us to speak like this again? I promise that it would involve none of the trickery involved here."

Such an idea was a difficult decision to Takumi. After all, there was only so much detail that he could gleam from the various texts he had read; surely a small amount if not a vast majority of things were incorrect and a chance to speak with what were apparently bonafide parts of the supernatural world was something that many would immediately give everything for. Still, such a distasteful first impression was not something to be so easily overcome, as the librarian stood up with a small gesture of his hand having the two little girls by his side.

"I'll think about it, but I don't think I can give you an answer right now. Besides, I'm sure you wish to speak with Issei more seeing as he's now your… servant." The man bid his farewell, stepping through the door without awaiting a response. He only walked a small distance away before he let out the heavy sigh that was eager to escape, a palm massaging his forehead as he tried to accommodate all that he had been witness to.

"It really is a strange moment, isn't it? The feeling when your entire world has been rocked and you truly realise how far you've sunken into it." A voice reminisced, Alice and Jack immediately ready to fight as a man stepped his way out from an alley. He didn't look to be much of a threat, his clothes surprisingly old fashioned as Shirou took in the red lined velvet coat with a matching navy cardigan to go with his dark blue trousers, such a look definitely standing out in amongst the more modern attire you would find out upon the streets. The man was elderly, firm wrinkles marring a stern looking face as grey eyebrows and hair were seemingly styled to be scruffy, an odd contradiction to his tasteful look. "I love it when I see that in people. It's the moment when they realise they're not the most powerful in the world, apparently at least."

"Apparently?" Takumi parroted. The man seemed to have some sort of purpose behind his eyes, the disarming joking smile evidently hiding something and even in his tired state, the librarian was rather intrigued to find what he had to say. Besides, he had easily revealed the fact he was aware of the supernatural half; who knew what revelations were still to come?

"Well, Humanity's a rather strange species, isn't it?" the man mused, leaming against the side of a building with the smile falling into a stern line. "They're supposedly the weakest and yet they fill the earth. They come up with some of the strangest ideas to explain what they don't know and then there's all of the religion that scurries abut believing they're better than humans while avoiding their attention."

That was a true point. After all, you didn't openly speak of seeing angels and demons or you would be thought a psychopath, but if they truly were everywhere that it was believed they were, why hadn't they come out and taken over the weak humanity when they could? Admittedly, the angels make sense, but demons could've literally enslaved the population when humans were weak. It was almost as if they feared the consequences of what would happen, especially now that humans have managed to achieve so much.

"They can do so much, but all you 'stupid little apes' are still looked down upon. It's probably because you've made your biggest enemies yourselves." The man remarked, a hand to his chin. Each statement was made with a rather precise movement of a similarly wrinkled hand, the man looking as if he was orchestrating rather than just holding a conversation. "The bank robs the people and so the people rob the bank. You all hold each other so close and yet you make sure your knife is ready to stab into their back. It's irrational, it just doesn't make sense and yet here you all are."

"Well, not all humans are greedy after all. Some just want to live out their honest lives." Takumi reasoned, his stance casual even if he remained still somewhat apprehensive of the man before him. "Sure, you'll get those who want to work for just themselves, but in the end they have to go to work for someone else to get paid. We can make do with what we have without trying to manipulate and abuse our fellow people."

There wasn't an immediate response to that as he drew Alice and Jack closer, ready to walk of. The grey haired man simply observed the librarian's form with what appeared to be a calculating glare. Very soon however, the tight frown edged its way to a small smirk, the man stepping around on the spot with a small chuckle.

"Then there are people like you. One of the few who remind me why I fell in love with your kind." The elderly man reminisced, turning back to the alley. "That's really all I needed to hear. I'm sure you'll see me soon; somewhere, somehow. Just don't be surprised if I don't remember your name Takumi, Alice, jack – I'm bad with names."

"Wait, I never gave you our names!" the brunette objected, running down the small path the elderly man had jovially strode down; it wasn't a particularly long lane from what he could remember and yet there was seemingly no end to it – at least until he slammed headfirst into the dead end. How had the man disappeared from his sight? There were no doors or alternate alleyways he could've gone down; it was simply a small lane between buildings, so there was theoretically no possible escape for the elderly man unless he were to somehow take to the rooftops and that was clearly out of the man' capabilities. But he had also known that he had been recently revealed to the supernatural, so who knows where that man had come from or what he was capable of? All Takumi could do was give a sigh and walk back to the two girls.

"Weren't you able to find the bad man?" Alice questioned with a tilt of her head, the negative reply causing her to gain a pout while Jack discretely slid the knives back in their place. There was just something about him that didn't seem right, that didn't seem… human. "I don't like that man. He's too old!"

"Well, we'll all get old one day. You'll blink and time will have flown past you in the blink of an eye." Takumi chuckled, another glance spared to the alleyway in front of him before he turned the two back on the right track home.

"But I don't want to get old! I want to stay young forever and ever and be like this for the rest of my life!" Alice objected, folding her arms as she walked. Oh, how poor teddy must've felt being strangled in that death hold known as the power of children in distress. "Changing is no good!"

"Alice… we all change and we can't stop that. We get better when we change, bad people can start to be good and good people can start to become better. If we didn't change, then I think the world would be a much worse place, so you can't fear change. Fearing change means that you're not willing to carry on in your life and there are people you could potentially never meet because you refused to move on." The librarian explained, both girls falling silent. Of course, Jack had been silent through the whole thing, but there was a new contemplative look to her eyes as she drew her shirt closer to her body.

One particular person who was listening in could only look to the wrinkled skin upon his hand, tenderly touch the aged flesh upon his face and give a sigh. The time was steadily approaching and yet there was nothing he could do to stop it. Could he really carry on as he had done so before without even thinking about it, letting someone else take his place while he remained locked away to never return? It was as if he was walking towards his death, but it was necessary for him to keep moving forward – at least people seemed to believe that. There was no more time for him to debate it however as he turned back, the doors opening without a single command as he walked towards the console before him. He still had a little action in him seeing as he was here in the first place.

* * *

A letter was something he wasn't really used to. Of course, Takumi had to send letters ever now and again for things like bills and such, but to receive what was apparently a personal letter was a rather rare occurrence. Still, there was breakfast to be made and Alice was waiting impatiently; Jack would come as soon as the food was out as if she had been there from the very start, so she was pretty much waiting as well.

 _To Takumi,_

 _I Hope I find you well and that my actions will not affect your response to this letter - I was hoping you could come with us to the address shown upon this letter once the sun sets, a messenger possible if you want to be reminded when the suitable time is. This may come at a strange time for you, but I wanted to make sure that I could show you how little harm we are to humanity by demonstrating some of the activities we typically go on. I can personally assure you that, though I myself may not go out on many of the same jobs, that I too desire not to see humans suffer with what I made you do and can only hope you are willing to give me another chance. Hopefully I have not coloured your impression of me through my hurried actions._

 _Rias Gremory, House Gremory._

It was a curt letter, but one that had his interest piqued even with the experiences he had to go through so far with the girls. He was being offered the chance to see what devils could do? Who in their right mind would turn down that? Well, quite a large amount of people actually, but considering how the other Occult Research club members seemed to be so nice with their act (While Rias was as well, even if it was just a false pretence), there wasn't going to be any real harm when it came to observing them – it wasn't as if he would be actively participating. Transferring the prepared dishes to the table, the man set aside the small sheet of paper in favour of eating with the girls.

"So, what do you think you want to do today? I've got a free day off from the library, so we can go do whatever you want… until sunset." The librarian declared, Jack looking to Alice almost immediately; she was content with doing whatever with her father, so it was up to the nursery rhyme caster to choose. There was a look of intense concentration upon her face as she placed a spoonful of the soup into her mouth, milling it other with the silver object remaining between her lips.

"… The park!" the girl replied cheerfully around her spoon, Takumi giving a small tut as he brought the utensil out of her mouth with the lightest possible swat to the top of her head.

"Make sure you only talk when your mouth isn't full. Still, it's a good idea, nice and close. I think I could also pull up a little stuff for us to mess about with when we're there as well…" it would be a little trip to the store for sure, but it would hopefully prepare for something that they would find greatly entertaining, but it was at that moment when a slight depressing thought began to enter his head. "But maybe it won't be as cool seeing what you can do…"

"Don't be silly." That picked him out of his thoughts, turning to where Alice giggled away with Jack nodding beside her. "Just because I've been summoned as a caster, it doesn't mean I can do everything! Besides, spending time with my master is always lots of fun!"

"I guess it won't be too bad if I make a super special basket for us to take as well them; it seems to be a good day, so it should still be shining when it comes to lunch." Now that declaration seemed to have them happy as even Jack showed a small smile at the thought. This was how it was meant to be in life. No big supernatural reveal, no strange men in alleyways, no thoughts of dying in a horrific blaze – just enjoying the life given to them and fumbling about trying to be a good carer. After all, he hadn't really thought of things in the way that the girls clearly did; he was desperately trying to make sure they had a fun time and a good life, but they were just content with being with their new parent. Yes, a basket would do nicely.

Once breakfast was eaten (perhaps a tad bit too fast for proper health, but whoever listened to those sorts of things anyway?), it would be a simple walk to the store and the park, Alice constantly pestered Takumi as to the point of what he purchased, the librarian merely giving a knowing smile; he would've rubbed the top of her head had his hands not been full. Maybe it was just his paranoia showing, but he was quite proud of his choice of giving Jack the food, a responsibility that the girl was happy to take with one little smile. It meant that she would be hard pressed to pull her knives; he didn't need her pulling them out on anybody for a minor issue and getting them arrested.

The park was quite happily filled by the various young children of tired parents who were more than happy to let their rabid kids run amok amongst one another if it means they had a chance to take a small break. Parking himself a way away, Takumi gave a small crack of his knuckles as he laid down his special equipment, Jack watching in intrigue from her place on the rug, the ripped jeans and baggy t shirt flopping off of her body as she watched the librarian's fingers go to work on the rope he had bundled next to him. A little bit more and they were attacked to the two sticks he had carried all the way, the attention of a few more children taken in his direction.

"What are you doing?" Alice questioned, sneaking a tiny bit closer to look to the empty bucket. She was quick to move back however when Takumi gave a small grunt, the entire thing filled to the near brim with water as a bottle was pulled out, Takumi merely giving a grin as he let loose with the large amount of washing up liquid. The great thing about children was that they seemed to flock to any opportunity to get dirty and when there's a large amount of water and washing up liquid, things were definitely going to get a little bit messy. Naturally, the parents were a little bit cautious when it came to the strange man seemingly about to do his dishes in the middle of a park, but there were a few who had recognised him from his day job and merely kept their content grins to themselves.

"You see, I'm going to make bubbles." Takumi explained, lifting up his two sticks to the confusion of the gathered children. The loop of rope was carefully lowered down into the strange mixture, a chorus of light gasps of realisation as he pulled out the shining liquid drenched rope. "You see, I might not be able to do this sort of thing with magic, but I can still do it with a little bit of knowledge."

But Alice wasn't listening for she like the others had started to chase after the large bubble the breeze had blown for them, another following soon afterwards. With the exuberance she seemed to shine with at that moment, it wasn't hard to believe that she would burst in an aura of happiness, or maybe it was magic… who cares, Takumi was sure she had some sort of safety limit on her abilities anyway. As the air began to fill with bubbles, Jack content with blowing her own with a much smaller wand, it was as if he turned on an electromagnet beside the park, children of all kinds coming to mess about with the flying soap bubbles. If the parents had any sort of objection, they didn't voice them as the sound of childish laughter filled the air. Some were even brave enough to bring long their small babies just to laugh at the odd sight; now that was something that brought a smile to the librarian as he laughed along with the children.

"Right, everyone! We're going to have a small competition! I'm going to blow a whole load of bubbles and whenever can pop the most wins something special!" Takumi declared, the two bubble guns he had found for relatively cheap doing their job of filling the air with numerous bubbles that barely had the time to debate their short lifetime before they were ruthlessly destroyed by children. The adults had come over at this point, probably to ensure that their children weren't under any threat by the strange bubble man, but that didn't mean they were going to stop the harmless fun when it wasn't needed.

"You're the guy from the library, aren't you? Head of it if I can remember correctly." One of the mothers recalled with a little smile, Takumi rubbing the back of his head as best as one could when they were holding a bubble gun. "I'm not surprised you seem so good with the children then."

"Trust me, usually I have a lot more issues getting them to come together. You'd be amazed how much bubbles can do." Takumi joked, the pair sharing a small laugh. When they were in the library, it was often chaos trying to get the children to work properly, the parents often needed to keep them on task when they got bored of whatever they were doing or disliked a week's certain activity. The only time they really quietened down was when he was doing his little show as Vert the storyteller and it was clear he couldn't exactly have a relaxing conversation then; it was rare to get a chance to speak like this. "A part of me just lives for these sorts of moments though, when you can relax and just enjoy yourself without worries. It's almost as if someone took it out of a story book."

"It is, I suppose. I've never seen little Beth interact with so many other children before; she's always been a bit of a recluse and enjoyed books more than people." The girl commented, pointing to where a little blonde spectacled girl danced around the black and brown haired children, a sore thumb along with Jack and Alice. "Where are you from? I don't think I've seen young white hair around here before. My family are from England personally."

"Oh, I'm from Japan. Alice and Jack… they have English sounding names, but they speak Japanese perfectly well. I have no idea where they're originally from, just that they sort of appeared out of nowhere with no parents to speak of and no home to return to. It would be an injustice to let them stay out there after all." And it wasn't as if Takumi was really lying. After all, they did appear out of nowhere, even if that was to be taken a bit more literally than she probably did and they had no home to return to, or at least one that they cared to return to seeing as they were apparently content with just staying with him. "I can't say I don't already love them though. They have… moments where they can be very strange and I don't think they're children at all, but at times like this, you can't mistake them for anything else."

Jack had chosen a rather strange approach when it came to the little impromptu competition, no need for her weapons when her hand served as the equivalent. Her movements were oddly precise, almost as if she was planning to eliminate the most people in a single swift movement than just popping bubbles, though by thinking of it in such a way, it most likely did serve as the most effective method. Seeing the little meters on the back of the machines start to run low, Takumi pulled himself up from where he had been speaking, switching the guns off to the disapproval of the children. He scanned them over, each one looking tired with a red flush that spoke of the fun they had, though one in particular caught his attention. The one pointed out to be little Beth was standing slightly off to the side, her eyes pointedly looking to the ground as she was kept wary of the people around her. She wasn't sure how to react now that the fun had stopped and the children were ready to start _talking_ with one another; good thing he could change that.

"And our winner, is Beth!" the librarian declared, a sizeable chocolate bar pulled out and happily placed into the little girl's hand. she almost looked as if she'd ever seen the bar before, looking between Takumi and her own mother until the woman urged her to take it, her red cheeks darkening when a mini applause began to ring out among the children. "Don't look like that. You deserve it."

But she didn't do what he thought she would do. Instead, with a rather hesitant approach, the little blonde without words offered up the chocolate to her mother, a small giggle escaping the woman as she pushed it back towards the child. Only a second later, she would be quietly nibbling upon the corner as the other children started to approach, begs for pieces and just general attention clearly starting to overwhelm her to the point where she couldn't even think of eating the chocolate.

"Now, now, there's enough for everyone! I was lucky I decided to get one of those big bags…" Takumi sighed as he was nearly swamped by chocolate crazed children, of course, they weren't as big as the winner's bar, but it had them all happily eating away as more and more parents decided to join the little club that had formed around their trio.

"That was fun. I don't think I've made bubbles like that before! Alice laughed as she tugged upon the short sleeve of jack's t shirt, the girl giving a small nod of agreement. Though the two didn't seem even half as tired as the rest of the newly gathered group, there was an undeniable glow about them that you could only get through intense activity and there was no one there who would doubt that it was worth it in the end. Of course, now he had a whole bunch of stuff needed in order to make a storm of bubbles and it would be a pain to clean up if they were to try anything remotely similar in the library. Oh well, at least it would all be there for next time; maybe they could make a sort of charity event and use them, that would get children begging their parents to bring them along.

"Don't worry. As long as I have control, then there will be many more days like this to come. After all, there's no reason not to have a little fun every once in a while, isn't there?" Takumi answered, giving a chuckle at the way the caster positively leapt into his arms, Jack more than content with taking a single hand to place upon the top of her head and snuggle into his side, this was a perfect day Takumi assumed, only to fall into a small sigh. The end of it would be the real decider for whether it would stay like that.

 _I love you so much, the daughters of my dreams._

 _So full of happiness, bursting at the seams._

 _I'll be the candle that lights your way,_

 _I'll give all I have if it means you will stay._

 _You are my little apples, my petit chou-fleurs,_

 _I'm lucky just to have you, no delusions of grandeur._

 _I'll be the candle that lights your way,_

 _I'll give all I have if it means you will stay._

* * *

 **And the bookmark falls there. Tell me, what do you think this time? I always say one chapter does worse than another, but you all seem so supportive regardless, I have to thank you already. We're only on the fifth chapter and yet we're already catching up to my other stories that have been going for a lot longer. Next time, expect something a little bit more violent; it wouldn't do to make introductions that didn't ave some flair to them.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	6. Chapter 6 - the sword

**Yo! Sorry about how awkward this is; I've been fairly busy with work and as you can tell, this is a little late because of the aforementioned work and obvious reasons. Anyway, allow me to introduce the first of our extra friends because it was pretty clear who he was from the very start, though people seem to forget one thing; just because a servant is seen in a class, it doesn't mean they can't be in another. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Tapio, get ready to launch into action! Let loose and be afraid of the bark!_

 _Tapio: You make it sound like I'm a dog._

 _Takumi: Really? I liked that pun!_

 _Tapio: That is why I am the wiser of us two. stick to your day job._

 _T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!_

* * *

What he saw before him was only a little bit terrifying. Just a tiny, little bit.

The monstrous creature attempted to pass off as human or perhaps it was clinging to the last remnants of its human form, but with the ginormous body it led to, the mutated form of a horse blurring into her lower body. How such a hideous transformation could occur, the gaping cavity upon her stomach gently opening and closing as brown fur covered what would be a most private part normally, Takumi was certainly not fond of figuring out, great claws ready to tear him to shreds upon muscled legs. When Rias had invited him to see what they were meant to do as devils, he was certainly not expecting something so significantly dangerous!

" _You are cunning for a little girl! I will rip your body and colour it in red just like your hair!_

That was the horrifying shriek that had come as an answer to rias' statement of extermination, her group tasked with the death of one who had chosen a life of consuming human bodies in place of ordinary power. Admittedly, it fit the idea of a devil far better than the majority of things he had seen from them so far, but that didn't mean he had to be excited when the creature lurched forward, acid firing from… dear lord, it came from her breasts of all bloody things! Takumi was quick to leap out of the way, his head leaving the perfect position to be completely melted as the shot positively destroyed the wall behind it.

A small order had Kiba stepping up to the chopping block, the blond 'knight' as Rias called him able to reach speeds far beyond what he would normally demonstrate. The librarian was barely able to keep up with the blistering strikes that came from the weapon easily brought in the boy's hand from somewhere, his sword slicing at the beast's legs. A stray devil, ne born through the abandonment and betrayal of their master in order to act freely in terrible ways… at least they were kind enough to order their elimination before they could pose a greater threat to the people. Still, there had to be some which were too strong for people to handle; what was to happen then?

"Yuuto represents the knight, granting him great ability with the sword and a speed that can be considered unmatched by any save for those with a similar piece." Rias declared, her pose oddly calm despite the hideous stray devil stood before her. Not even a second passed before the two legs were ripped from their places, showers of blood drenching the room as the two arm like appendages fell useless to the ground. Those claws were incredibly frightening with the way they landed so close to the librarian, but if Rias noticed his fear, she was… kind enough not to bring it up.

"Koneko is the rook – a fortress just as the name implies. With her tremendous strength and defence, there are rarely any issues which she cannot deal with." The redheaded leader declared, the gaping maw within the stray devil's stomach roaring as it seemingly consumed the white aired girl whole, only for her body to easily shove aside the two rows of teeth with little effort. Shattering them all with a single blow, Koneko watched without emotion as the beast of a devil was sent smashing through one of the support barriers, the worst done to her being a rather wrecked uniform.

"My, my, is it my turn now?" Akeno cooed as a hand made it to her crimson cheek, the black haired girl slowly strutting her way to where the body sat prone. Highlighted by the misty light of the moon, there was very little to detract from the Occult Research club's vice president's beauty, yet there was something about her smile that positively screamed of the pain she was hoping to cause with her abilities. Despite that however, Takumi was quick to see the wriggling hand like limb viciously torn off before suddenly leap to life, its aim coming straight to where he and Rias were standing. Turning to Issei, the younger brunette was quick to try and leap to his rescue with a red glove upon his hand glowing with a green energy, but Jack was far quicker to act.

"You don't hurt father." Her knives were relatively small. They had to be if they were to fit in what was basically a child's hand, but that didn't mean that they couldn't do a great deal of damage. She was a blur in mere moments, only shreds of mutated flesh left in place of their would-be attacker.

"Thank you Jack." Rias smiled, though Jack's cold stare was only enhanced by the blood that splattered upon her body, not even the more modern clothes helping her to seem anything less than the assassin she called herself.

"You don't hurt _father_." Jack repeated, her eyes narrowing before they turned to where the stray devil was cowering in pain, her voice barely above a whisper yet still oozing with positively murderous intent. "Female, night, fog can be made… I can eliminate the one who would hurt father easily."

"I was hoping that you would allow Akeno to finish her off actually. I would like to demonstrate her piece, you understand." Rias interjected, her eyes turning to where the smiling 'queen' piece was quite literally sparking, the electric pulses jumping between her hands with reckless abandon. That was magic purely designed for battle, the wild power too untamed to be used for any sort of restrained action. "The almighty vice commander combining all of the other pieces' strengths. She specialises in attacks that utilise demonic powers. As well as that, she also is…"

"It seems to me like you still have some energy left in you yes? Then how about we try… something along the lines of this!?" there was no room for another word as a deafening cry filled the air, the stray devil known as Viser writhing in agony upon the ground as amps uncountable flowed through every essence of her being. Unrelenting, the stream was all but increased with every passing second, the glow upon Akeno's cheeks practically luminescent the more she heard the tortured screams of her enemy. "Come on, make it painful, make me hurt you more! I want it to hurt to even breath, to keep your heart beating!"

"…What could be considered an ultimate sadist." Alice by this point was already gripping Takumi's back as she cowered behind the librarian, an ultimately futile action considering that the little white haired caster had already proven herself to be far stronger than him multiple times over.

"Akeno, you can end it here." Rias' movements past the still giggling Akeno were slow and calculated. It was clear to all present what the result of such a confrontation would be, but with Rias' method, it would be dragged out far longer than it needed to be, an action that didn't exactly sit well with Takumi. No matter the evil you were facing, it would always be better to deal a swift death if execution was necessary. Besides, the longer you waited, the longer you gave your opponent the chance to pull out some sort of hidden ability that could immediately turn the tide of battle. It was the sort of twist you could expect after reading so many action stories.

"Well, it looks like this is the end of the line for you… checkmate." The large magical circle that appeared before the king pieces was somewhat beautiful, though its appearance was tempered by the large mass of demonic blood red energy that flowed out of it towards the beaten fallen stray. There was no time before the entire body was consumed in the light, barely an atom of her original being remaining while the dust settled. At least she hadn't chosen to go with something akin to what Akeno had put the creature through; that would've just been immoral even for a devil to do. "Now, with that done, we can go back."

"I must admit, that was a clean execution. I suppose making sure that there isn't any blood left to be spilt is certainly one way of keeping the mess tidy."

The group was immediately placed straight back into caution when the heavy thuds of iron clad hands clapping rang through the area, a man fully coated in thick armour plating stepping out. With a dark green trench coat over his body and darker trousers, thick gauntlets and boots were still visible like the helmet that covered the entirety of his head save for the shock of messy white hair that draped over the edges. They were all too aware of the sword that sat sheathed at his side, the blade ready to be pulled at a moment's notice.

"Ah, my apologies. Allow me to explain. My name is Mech Frantsii… and I am here for you, sir." Takumi could only give a small gulp as the two girls moved to intercept the finger pointed his way, their expressions incredibly serious. Whatever emotion the man showed was hidden behind the mask he wore, stepping forward with heavy footsteps before clasping the man's right hand as slowly as possible to mitigate the threat he posed. "Would it be possible for us to talk without the extra guests? Of course, I would be happy to let your other… friends stay considering their status."

Well, it was a lot more of a welcoming idea than when Rias had proposed he come to be met with a stray devil monster. The others were polite to remove themselves quickly, though the man giving a cough when he felt their powers lingering outside had them move far quicker until it was just the four of them stood within the dark and desolate building. Gently taking Takumi's right hand into his own, a hum escaped the man as the red symbols shone in the light, something which Takumi was certain had not been there before. The intricate pattern was definitely one foreign to him, having never caught sight of anything like it before, but to the other three, it was almost seeing water in a desert.

"So you truly do have the command seals… I was unfortunate enough to find myself summoned in a place where none had the seals, leading me to believe that the one responsible was brutally murdered." The man near whispered, a harsh noise forced through the grates which allowed him to breathe. So the people with the seals were either dangerous or valuable enough that destroying them was a good option… neither really spoke well for his safety to be honest.

"Well of course master has the command seals! We are his servants after all!" Alice boasted, hands on hips and a large grin to match. Jack was more than content to simply give a firm nod, the man nodding slowly as he stepped back into a small bow, something that Takumi wasn't exactly used to. Sure, he would get the occasional bow of the head when people were leaving the library or he helped out in some fashion, but to show some strange tattoo that had suddenly appeared upon his hand? Yeah, that was a new one to him.

"Then I must ask if I too can form a contract with you. I can say with great certainty that my hands are skilled and my mind sharp." The man suggested, Takumi shocked into a slight stupor. How was he able to move so fluidly when his entire body was so heavily armoured? Surely it would prove to be some sort of toll on his body. "If you wish for me to prove myself against your current servants, then I will be more than happy to oblige."

"No, no, no fighting! We can't have fighting now!" the librarian was quick to object. There was no ned for it really and this man was sure to cause some damage; what he wanted at the moment was some answers and for that, they would need to talk, not battle it out! "Why don't you come back to the library? I don't think my house is good enough to house you as well."

"Understood master. Allow me to reintroduce myself properly. I am the servant Saber. It may not be my usual summoning class, but I shall prove my worth for such a title."

* * *

Within the lights of the library, the heavily armoured man practically shone, beams easily reflected off of his metallic coating. Why such a thing could be necessary in the modern age was something Takumi couldn't say he could think of, save for some incredibly dangerous labour job. The sword wasn't exactly explained by that however, the sheathe itself near primed with a deadly aura that spoke of only a single attack before the end of your life. To have such a creature of a man stood beside both Jack and Alice within a library of all things, it certainly provided a much more terrifying appearance for the man.

"So you are meant to be spirits of famous figures? People who have transcended normal death?" the brunette repeated with far more disbelief than he wanted to portray, but there was simply no helping it. For such an absurd idea to even be suggested would have them laughed away by many normal people and it was only because of his curiosity and the girls that he hadn't already pushed them out of the doors. "I apologise, but even with your abilities, that seems incredibly unlikely."

"Might I ask what it is that we can do to convince you of that?" Mech questioned, his hands held behind his back as he kept them upon the sword. Takumi had been kind enough to offer a place for him to place the blade, but the hulking man had politely refused, a small chuckle escaping him before he explained that he simply couldn't be parted with his sword. "After all, surely you've seen the abilities demonstrated by Jack? Alice?"

The ability to summon copious amounts of fog, as well as great speed and skill with the knife… it was almost as if Takumi was unable to even see the little girl whenever she moved and there was a glint to her eye that spoke of a true practiced killer… just who could it be? He was quick to move to the history section of the library's offerings, twisted tales of murderers and their demonstrations making its way to Takumi's hand; call him rude, but with what Jack had proven herself eager to do, it was most likely the best place for him to choose.

And it was only after he scanned a certain page that the servants heard the sharp intake of breath, the book falling close as the brunette took the assassin by the shoulders, a simple glance at the girl and the way she held no reaction having confirmed as Takumi fell backward, a hand moving to his head. Who was happy to know the fact that the unidentified English murderer was a little girl? Only England had ever been inflicted with a terrible choking fog like the kind Jack used and she just so happened to share a name with a rather notorious killer.

"Though I myself am not as famous, I too have a rather painful legacy left behind." The man who had classed himself as a saber declared, his head bowing slightly as words came through clear even through the grill they were forced to go through. "The fourth head of the Sanson family, who dealt their trade through the blood of the guilty and even the innocent. I must confess, though Jack may call herself the assassin, I am the kind who kills in plain sight, the one who was raised from birth to murder without regret."

Charles-Henri Sanson. He was around during the French revolution as one of the executioners, particularly famed for his great contribution towards the implementation of the guillotine for more humane killing. It was one of the topics he had come to research for one of his essays needed during his higher education days, meaning he was fairly certain that the man in front of him, if the legends surrounding Jack the ripper could result in such a terrifying young child, posed such an immense threat. Why would an executioner require such vast armour though? They were fully allowed to kill in the open and there was little chance of any sort of retribution against them that would require such a thing.

"The armour, I suppose? Trust me when I say it is necessary for your safety, for the safety of everyone against me." Sanson declared, holding his sword aloft as a new glint entered the metal eyes upon his helmet. "As long as I hold this armour upon my body, your neck will remain safe from anybody else who would ever search for it."

He would protect his neck from anybody _else_? Now that was a little frightening for Takumi as the librarian let his hand shoot to his neck. So, the executioner was planning to take his neck for himself? The idea of working with him was becoming maybe a little bit more dangerous, but even if he knew the identity of two, then that still left…

"So who is Alice meant to be? I can't seem to recall anyone with that name from the history books…" Takumi muttered, his eyes flashing over the various texts at his disposal. Perhaps a famous magician of sorts? But who on earth would be recognised for such strange magic? It looked to be the sort of stuff that was designed to entertain children, but there weren't that many famed children's magicians that could spring to mind. Seeing her master's strange look, Alice let out a giggle as she twirled in place, her arms stretched wide as she gave a deep bow.

"Servant caster, also known as Nursery Rhyme! I'm not like everyone else, I'm special!" the girl declared, the air filing with a violet burst as she let out her power. There was a certain warmth to it that Takumi could only just notice, that of a child in a warm embrace… it was something he would happily get used to until it was abruptly shut off, Alice twirling once more with a little wink. "My power comes from stories! Every story you know, they hold so much power. I can simply use that power."

Wait, so what she was doing was based on things he had read? Now that was a strange thought; he had certainly read some dangerous stuff, so if she were to ever pull that out… There would be no hiding the consequences of such a thing. Such power in the hands of a child could cause an immense disaster and if that were to happen simply because he read some books…

No, he was taking this too easily. Takumi should've staged some sort of protest to all of this… idiocy, but after what he had been shown right before his very eyes? After being introduced to great monsters apparently known as stray devils, after seeing what were supposedly fallen angels destroyed with a simple attack? Why, it was more than enough to have him classed as crazy; might as well go along with the flow at this point. A small sigh escaped the librarian as he moved to his desk, the three standing silently in front of him: an armour clad executor, a young version of the famous Whitechapel murderer and what was apparently a girl who could call upon the power of stories… what a strange cast.

"Well I don't know what I'm meant to do when I have no room for you to stay though, if you are planning on staying." Takumi remarked, his fingers sitting upon his forehead. It wasn't as if he could just walk out to a hotel and simply try to book him in either, not if he wanted to keep his reputation; the only time it would work was if he tried to get the two of them into some sort of anime convention – heavens knew he looked the part completely.

"Please, do not fret. I can find my way outside of your home. Though I may not have been summoned through the assassin class, I can still keep myself hidden if I so desired." There was no hiding the smirk that appeared upon Sanson's face even with the way it was held beneath the metal of his mask, the man giving a small crack of his neck. "Though I must confess, my name is certainly not one that could be at all considered famous, it could still cause issues due to others who may try to cause harm to you. While Alice and Jack are quite generic names, I do not have the honour and thus, thanks to the place I was summoned, I ask that you call me Mech Frantsii when we're in public."

The sword of france… certainly not the most subtle thing, but when you were in Japan, you would find very few people who would be able to speak in russian and then make the connection. If Takumi was completely honest with himself, there were very few people who would actually recognise the name Charles-Henri Sanson, but there was really no need to argue, not in this scenario.

"I mean, if you think you can make it work, I'm sure I could spare a pillow or blanket for you… and definitely some sort of shelter, there has to be something we can do for that." Takumi declared, his hands slamming onto the desk before him as he stood. Now there was a battle plan he could go off of, now there was a chance he could make this chaos work. He should be able to have some breakfast ready for all of them, but trying to get an excuse for why this man was here… that would need a bit more discussion, but that sort of thing was for the morning, not now. Now, to simply walk home on a completely normal night with two killers and a young powerful girl-mage. Normal stuff. Normal stuff…

Needless to say, Takumi was incredibly surprised when he saw the letter signifying Charles-Henri's acceptance into the local hospital. All it would take was a little work from Alice and the man looked like a perfectly normal Russian person, save for the white hair. Piercing blue eyes, yet an almost sleepy serious tone upon a pale face, there was certainly a reassuring vibe mixing into the dangerous aura of the man. Apparently, the art of killing was certainly one that lent itself towards the art of medicine as well, the man acing the test the hospital gave upon a small amount of urging from Alice. A great part of the man was questioning whether such a thing was necessary, especially after his little alteration failure when it came to the devils, but Alice had even put him under to show how painless it was; it was a bit weird to be talking to your daughter one second and suddenly be sat in a kitchen full of soap bubbles.

It had meant though that there was a wonderful new source of income coming his way one that had lifted a few of the restrictions that he had placed upon himself with the people that were entering his care. Whether the others noticed the slight improvement in the quality of his food, noticed how he was a slight bit happier to pay a little more to the girls or anything else, they were certainly not complaining. Charles-Henri himself seemed more than happy to dote upon the little girls himself, his large frame making for a rather fun climbing frame in certain situations. Whenever Takumi sent the large white haired man a questioning look, there was a simply silence from his armour, only speaking once there was silence and a glass of brandy – for him alone.

"I must admit, I'm much more inclined towards the wines of the world. From where I came, there was many for which my family could choose from." Charles-Henri declared as he span the liquid within the glass. "Still, let it provide me enough strength for me to speak."

It was a strange ability – the ability to move liquids and food through the metal of his helmet even when there were times where the applied illusion made it look like a perfectly normal mouth. Still, that wasn't exactly Takumi's main question as he nursed the cup of tea. Both of the girls had pushed themselves to sleep upon the librarian's insistence; perhaps there was still a part of Jack that distrusted the man, but at the words of her father, she would sleep. Or at least pretend to, Takumi wasn't quite sure if the girl ever went to sleep seeing as she was always awake no matter when he went to check up on the pair.

"I don't know how much you know of my history, but if you are to be my master, then I shall show no restraint in telling you." The man sighed, rubbing a hand against the smooth surface of his 'face'. "I could never say I had a bad family. Even being born to a family that killed for a living, I had very little to care for, though when it came to people outside of the family line… that was completely different. They don't see the boy wishing for friends, but the kid to be groomed to place a blade at the neck of the people. What I viewed as my son to be duty to royalty, they saw as a person eager to drown himself in the blood of others. To see a child grow up without care, even with all that he could wish for… that is something I will be eager to give; a family can only give so much."

A family could only give so much… he still hadn't really gotten them enrolled in any sort of school; the only friends they could think of making where the young people who came into the library, and usually that time was dedicated to Alice trying her best to try and teach Jack as much as possible during whatever period they had. The thought had of course passed through Takumi's mind – no child needed to grow up without any friends – but actually getting the things sorted was different. Perhaps his arrival had been one very strange and quite sudden, but that didn't mean it was unwelcome at all, seeing what Charles-Henri had managed to do in the short amount of time he had been present for. It was almost becoming peaceful.

A part of Takumi was also becoming far more used to staying out during the night as the group within the Occult Research club were almost making it a hobby to take the librarian out on various jobs, just to see the sheer variety of work that was available and what benefits joining with them could hold. The idea of being able to select whatever jobs you could go on rather than being like an actual devil and taking whatever was selected for you did seem quite interesting and especially helpful when he had tagged along with Issei. Thank goodness Alice had decided to join for that occasion, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to place the light illusion that made the man believe he had become a magical girl for a short amount of time.

It had been more than an adventure for the lot of them, though Charles-Henri had chosen to remain at his home in order to defend it from people who could've attacked. Who would've done so seeing as he had yet to make any enemies, Takumi wasn't too sure, but when the man was holding his sword, there was very little the brunette was willing to do in order to counter the swordsman. Whether it had been tending to a woman who had practically fallen in love with the girls while hanging out with Kiba, letting them pose in front of a camera with only a little bit of protest from Takumi alongside Koneko or even helping a girl practice her baby sitting techniques by being the absolute worst they could possibly be (now that was a sight to see and hopefully never see in his own home) with Akeno, there was such a weird and wacky selection that Takumi couldn't help but laugh each time.

To think that this was what people ended up calling devils for. All of that knowledge of Christianity, of how devils dealt with souls and were often far from honest in their workings, these people had to completely forget about it in its entirety and simply just asked for whatever they wanted. Money, jewels, paintings – there was no limit to what could be offered as a payment either and there was a sizeable collection of various items within the stores of the Occult Research club. If there was anything that was going to get Takumi to join, it was the vast collection of rare and limited edition books; people would flock to the library if they saw some of the titles that they had managed to gather during their work period. The fact that this was even considered work when under normal circumstance, it was nothing more than menial chores… It suddenly made sense why the devils chose to act this way; for all of the small jobs they did, they managed to squeeze out some incredibly serious rewards from whatever they did as well as loyalty. The man was left to wonder just what on earth Rias could be specialised in doing after seeing such a wide choice.

* * *

 _ **The future's already been foretold;**_

 _ **The children who are both young and old,**_

 _ **Will find their way to change the tide,**_

 _ **Of battle with their king at side.**_

 _ **For the writer will control the story,**_

 _ **Choose who fails and who attains glory.**_

 _ **A world the group can call their own-**_

 _ **Rule the place they've fixed and sewn…**_

 _There is a place out there where no normal person may reside; a heaven beyond heaven which even god must curry favour to enter. Whatever your desire would be, there is no doubt that the world would hold it in bountiful amounts, all waiting for your entrance which will never come. There is a man who rules over this glorious kingdom, one to who even reality will bend at the knee for, for this is the man who holds the pen. You could even say he was god himself._

 _For was it not god who created the world and wrote the origins of the world with his actions? While humanity continued to write their story, was it not god who gave them the ability to pen their own futures? Whoever was able to pen the history of the world could shape it in whatever way they desired and he held the pen to spread his ink._

 _He wrote and the trees came to life. A few words and the animals chirped and the insects clicked. Letting his pen flow brought forth both water and grass and beauty beyond all others for his mind had been filled with what simply needed to be let out. That was the power of a human when given the position of god; all others were made to be obedient to the lord and yet humanity was the species granted their own ability to think for themselves, to think creatively and create things that others could only dream of. We cherish memories for they hold so much emotion and power and with our imagination, we can give them so much more._

 _There was an intruder within this world and his pen was already moving. Ideas of what punishment could be inflicted upon this vile intruder were immediately brought forth from the tip of his pen. When the only limit was the limits of his mind, there were immediately thousands upon thousands of different scenarios that sprung forth and thus, as he wrote out the terrible tale of the person who could, the god of this world created a new story of this intruder._

 _He thought to first sent the intruder through hell, several flames burning through the luscious world he had formed for the few residents that lived within the paradise; whatever was damaged would be quickly repaired. Then came through the spikes, the several blades that tore through his skin as thorns pierced the flesh. What magnificent beauty was born through the bullets that shot straight through the tortured soul that dared to infiltrate his lovely home, how glorious it was to see the villain get their just desserts at the hand of drills digging into his very stomach! This was how a story was meant to go, the heroes coming out victorious as the villains were met with exactly what they deserved; attempting to defile a world that held such passion was certainly deserving of an incredibly violent punishment._

 _But he was a calm and caring person, to put a person through such extensive torture would be cruel and thus with a strict movement, the man was written out of the story. Perhaps it was a blessing, but the man instantly disappeared, every trace of his being completely erased from the miracle world. To be so easily snuffed out, to have every single aspect of your person written away ad if it had never even existed in the first place… What was their last thought when they disappeared? No, there was no time for him to deliberate on such strange ideas – the rest of the world needed to be written for generations to come._

 _He had not always been the author that he appeared now, once being only able to look on upon works and marvel at their creativity, their sheer majesty as they lined shelf by shelf. Now however, he was the one who wrote stories of those authors and the magic they would weave, as well as everything else that would happen in the world. That was the miracle he resided within. Not alone of course; such an existence would definitely drive a man mad. No, there was_ _ **BKbjhVBJH jvj**_ _and UBBIBVUGVBU alongside them, as well as_ _ **bbBIbiBIb**_ _i. He had been certain to make the place appear similar to_ _ **IUBkbB**_ _just in case he ever missed his true home, but there were also pieces of_ _ **BIBIb k**_ _ **VJvyVY**_ _and_ _ **Bbjhbj**_ _and even_ _ **bIVjhvVjb**_ _he had found within his favourites. To be honest it was hard work_ _ **BKBbiub**_ _and even_ _ **BUBIBUIbi**_ _deserved a_ _ **BIBkbiyBUI**_ _. But still, with_ _ **LLP**_ _in_ _ **VHVUVC, vUYVyjvu**_ _lived out his_ _ **bBYKBYUVBYI**_ _in_ _ **vBIYByv**_ _, within his own world…_

 _ **UBIUVvJYVYUyivuyb.**_

That night, Takumi woke up with a pounding heart as he looked to the clock that was more than eager to remind him just how early it was. What on earth even was that? It was certainly not something he had ever read about in his books, that was for certain and there was very little that might have brought forth such a surreal dream… it must've been what he had witnessed in such fast succession Takumi thought to himself, mere overwhelming of the brain. It was said that sleep was the time where the brain truly sorted through memories after all – it was bound to make some sort of mistake when it came to sorting through the stuff he had, right? The librarian's priority was soon returned to falling asleep again, his head resting carefully upon the pillow almost as if it would leap up to attack him. But that was just him being silly.

That was just the result of his imagination.

* * *

 **Allow me to spend this time to remind you all to keep those who fell within your heart. They fell for our future and now is the day to hold that close and send your prayers their way. Thank you.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	7. Chapter 7 - the church

**Greetings people. so basically, the belief I'm holding is that the previous chapters were alright, but disappointing in comparison. Well, that;s understandable. admittedly, I' in a slump and I'm searching for my inspiration again; it's the reason why I haven't been uploading as much at once. As for why I chose Sanson to act as a Saber... my idea would be to use more servants in a way that people don't expect and to do that, I'm messing with the classes and making some up. There are ideas I'm building up to and there are more to come. I'm actually surprised people haven't found Rider, I've already introduced him. Have fun trying to guess who he is - I bet you can't find tell from the previous chapters. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Calling upon a rider of a different sorts! Egi Yuuno, the doctor rider, play the game!_

 _Ex-aid: Let's game! mechaa game! Muucha game! What's your name!? You're a legend fighter!_

 _Takumi: Your story is an interesting one. You can't just make this stuff up!_

 _Ex-aid: But it's nothing compared to you. I could never think of working alongside Jack the ripper..._

 _T + E-a: The story begins! Game start!_

* * *

"I must say… to ask me to go along with you to storm a church wasn't exactly what I had in mind this night." Takumi remarked as Issei stomped before him, the younger brunette already making his intent clear as he approached the abandoned holy building. There had been not a word of warning before Issei had barged in during his work, the request immediately made before a hand on the librarian's arm meant he was already moving before an answer could be given. Still, he wouldn't exactly let the boy go without any form of support when Issei was clearly showing such determination over the coming act, especially when he managed to growl out what exactly had him so riled up.

"There were more fallen angels, and they took Asia! She went through so much pain with the church and now they plan to take her power to help people away!" Issei declared, looking forward with sheer energy flowing from his eyes. "What they're doing will kill her… I can't let something like that happen to a girl like Asia!"

They were going to kill a girl and take her power? Now that was exactly the sort of behaviour he had been expecting from the devils, but to hear it actually happen when they had proven themselves better… Maybe it wasn't all stories that were misinterpreted. They had already been met by two fallen already and they had certainly made their presence known, so just exactly what could be waiting for them if they were planning on killing and siphoning power, Takumi couldn't help but wonder.

"Do not fret. Any who would dare try to take your neck will have theirs severed in return." Charles-Henri stated, a small cough escaping Takumi at the sudden promise. He had almost forgotten that the armour coated man had followed him, but if Alice and Jack were to come along on this rescue mission, then there was no reason for the sword of France to stay his blade. "So there are fallen angels within the church? I must admit, the thought of executing something that no other human would've done… it makes me absolutely _ravenous_."

The church itself was fortunately still standing, though it had certainly seen better days. Underneath all but the moonlight, it was near serene, yet there was a thick power to the air that even Takumi couldn't help but tremble at, Issei giving a small wince at his side. Turning at the first sounds, Charles-Henri already had his blade poised at the neck of Kiba, both the blonde knight and Koneko preparing their own attacks until the brown haired librarian intervened.

"Swords down! I'm hoping we're on the same side." Takumi ordered, the trailing tone causing the two other devils to nod stiffly. There was a certain reluctance to the way that the Saber servant's sword fell, his face emotionless behind its wall of steel. "I can understand why Issei would be going after this person; can I say that you have the same reasoning behind your appearance?"

"Those of the Occult Research club are a family and I wouldn't be able to see myself in the mirror if I were to let Issei do such a dangerous thing alone." The blond explained, the sword returning to the sheathe at his side. "And Koneko was seemingly unwilling to let us go alone, though it appears we aren't as alone as initially thought."

"I would worry about them." The white haired girl added in a monotone, Takumi waiting in awkward silence as no further elaboration came his way. The lack of emotion upon her face was somewhat more troubling for the man than with Charles-Henri, definitely when you took the age difference into account; one was wearing a mask and he showed more emotion on his face, whereas the school girl who was meant to be enjoying her life and being far more cheerful looked to be ready to take her university exams all within an hour. Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the best situation for smiling, but it still proved to be unnerving when the others were freer with their emotion.

"I should warn you now, the stray priests within are numerous. Are you certain you wish to enter with us?" Kiba commented, looking to where the armoured man held his blade and back to the rather weak looking Takumi. "Though I am certain your friends could take care of you, it is regardless a dangerous place for you to be."

His words rang true. There was really no reason for him to be there considering that he could simply let the others deal with a threat they were much more prepared to take. But the thought of running away when there was a girl in danger at the hands of something most people didn't think would even exist… that was an idea that Takumi couldn't even think about without gripping his fists tighter.

"I will say that I'm not the best for this sort of scenario, but how many others could assist in my place? I'm going to go and make sure this girl, Issei's friend Asia, comes out of this okay!" Takumi near exclaimed, Issei lost for words as a smirk appeared upon Kiba's lips.

"Hey, hey, hey! Looks like we've got more fresh meat this time!" their attention was immediately drawn to where the voice cried, a white haired man decked out in a priest's garbs stretching his arms wide as the door to the church burst open. "Please, continue; I'm getting sentimental over here! To think I would meet the same devils twice… I'm so super strong that once I meet one of your kind, they usually don't have their head after our meetings. That's why I'm rather pissed at you hurting my pride!"

There was a sickening aura exuding from the man before them, pink eyes open wide as a gun and what appeared to be a sword handle came out of their hiding places. Needless to say Takumi had not been prepared for when the beam of light launched out of the handle, though the others were far more prepared for the encounter.

"Freed Sellzen. He's a stray priest who got kicked out of the church for too much killing." Issei explained quietly to the librarian before a new confidence entered his voice. "Freed! Where have you got Asia!"

The man had to pause in the licking of the gun's barrel to answer, an act that already had Takumi disgusted. Was this really an example of what a priest could become? To think that such a honoured title could be tainted, there was nothing Takumi wanted to do more than beat the man up. That still didn't mean he had any sort of strength to do so with however, simply settling for the darkest glare he could muster at the white haired priest.

"Ah, you mean the useless sister who let herself be seduced by a shitty devil?" Freed questioned surprisingly sanely before that very same sanity melted away with his next words. She's probably crying out on the ritual site through the alter! Tell me, can you hear her screams as well? Aren't they just magical?"

"Вероятно, это грустная песня…" Charles-Henri muttered beneath his breath, his head raising as he stepped forward with his blade quickly in hand. "That is surely a sorrowful song. To hear such a tone reach my ears is absolutely unthinkable. Thus, allow me to remove your neck!"

The executioner had a rather understandable ability within his arsenal one that he was proud to utilise before his master as he launched towards the mad man. The executioner ability meant that those who were deemed evil were far more susceptible to his sword, for to be an executioner was to destroy evil through the use of evil. Sparks flew through the air as Freed slammed his own glowing blade in the way, though it did little to halt the grand weight of a fully grown armoured man into his body, the far lighter of the two flying through the air without a single issue.

"Fall." Koneko wasn't far behind as the pew within her hands left her grasp, the man struggling to slice through the unconventional projectile in time. Takumi couldn't help the small part of him that was praising the way the weapon cut seamlessly through the wood – it was almost as if there was no resistance whatsoever, for if there had been, there was no doubt the seating would have met its target. That didn't mean the Saber didn't, his claymore shooting down to smash through the place where Freed had once lain, his feverish movements just enough to have him dodge the incoming executioner.

"Ha, Не робеть Freed! There have been any men with far worse crimes who faced their death with more pride than you!" Charles-Henri laughed out, his weapon swinging with no less fitness even with the mirth. "Those who would commit such vile crimes as to revile in the torture of the innocent are to be killed without mercy; even executioners will kill without pain or struggle."

"Tch, you're one insolent man, aren't ya!?" Freed screamed, several bullet shots avoided as with a rapidly placed shield, Takumi was protected from the incoming fire. "insolent, insolent, insolent! You really do piss me off!"

A thought quickly came to Takumi's mind. If Charles-Henri truly was the same as both Jack and Alice, did he too hold a special power? To make fiction into reality, to form fog wherever they may be… if the Saber servant held something similar, then what would it possibly be? After all, the man didn't exactly have much fiction to his name – being an executioner and a physician was all that could be put to the Sanson name in the first place.

"Silly master, of course he has a noble phantasm! Any servant would!" Alice corrected with a smile. A noble phantasm? Was that what those mysterious powers were called? The man had already gotten Freed into an iron deadlock, Kiba dodging the bullets that were haphazardly sent his way as another pew was sent through the air. With such chaos happening within the church, it was strange to see Freed smiling so crazily, his sword immediately moving to the pew as soon as the armoured man stepped back to avoid the friendly fire.

"Come on, show me a dance I haven't seen before!" Freed screamed, his gun shooting wildly as his tongue fell from between his lips. "In fact, I think it's time for everyone to play! Come on out guys!"

"There's more of them?" Issei spat out as people began to flock out from every possible entrance, a few even walking through the front door they had entered through. Did that mean they could've been attacked from the very start and they were only holding back? There was no time for further questioning, for the masses began to fire inward and though Alice's shield held up, there was no telling how long it would continue to do so. Kiba wa quick to divert his attention to the surrounding priests, their cries of both courage and pain quick to fill the air while another flying projectile sent another group away. How they were able to find even more to come out of the woodworks though, Takumi didn't know; it did nothing to stop Issei charging forward, his crimson gauntlet glowing as he yelled one word.

"PROMOTION!" it was the cry that signalled the coming shock of many, the younger brunette's fist smashing into a group with far more strength than the boy should've been able to muster. From the look he was giving his own body, perhaps even Issei wasn't too sure what had just happened, though it didn't stop him from trying again with another man that rushed him down with his blade.

"A shame… if they continue to replace one another, we will have to unnecessarily kill." Charles-Henri stated with a crack of his neck. "Master, do you wish to see my noble phantasm? I suppose seeing as they haven't managed to figure out who I am, I should be safe if you give the word."

Unnecessary killing… why did it have to be phrased in such a manner? If it was the man's way of making him act, it was certainly causing Takumi to do the opposite, but one look before him was all he needed. Issei was struggling to maintain the power he had shown before, the exaggeration of his natural ability clearly draining him after multiple uses. Fast as he was, even Kiba couldn't dodge such a great maze of bullet fire for an extended period and his sword could only block so many. Koneko was running out of objects to throw too and she was very much a single enemy fighter, so faced with the crowd, she had little choice except take the punishment. That was why Takumi, with a single breath, gave his command to the servant under his power, a slight glow coming to the symbols that appeared upon his hand.

"Do it Saber. Use your noble phantasm."

"Understood."

 _ **One cannot glow without throwing souls to the fires.**_

 _ **The stamping of judgement draws ever closer.**_

 _ **Our hopes and light will come with the dawn.**_

 _ **To our flag, we retain our pledge.**_

 _ **There is no tomorrow we cannot change!**_

 _ **Sword of the revolution!**_

And for Freed, it was as if the world had changed.

* * *

The French revolution was a time of great violence and political upheaval. Though the cause of such a grand event is still commonly debated, various events believed to have led to the revolution, there can be no doubt that it shaped the form of modern history as people began to drift away from the idea of absolute monarchies. The French revolution was a time where even the weakest helped bring down the great soldiers that protected the royals and prisons, and the various stray priests that had gathered in defence of their 'leader', they had been placed in that very same position.

Confused questions and cries filled the air as glowing spectres flooded the room in an amber light, Issei and Kiba both looking around the room as their potential attackers were forced back. They held no name or facial features that distinguished them, for the summoned souls were those of the freedom fighters of France – the common man that rioted in order to have their say, to earn their right to have a part in controlling their own lives. There wasn't a need for names, these people were more than content with knowing they would fight for true justice, not just what someone told them was justice.

Takumi's eyes widened as he saw the first makeshift weapon pierce flesh. When he had demanded Charles-Henri utilise his own special skill, he had not expected to see so many apparitions to appear from thin air, weapons materialising within their hands though not the way he expected. When one first thought of a weapon, it was easy to form the idea of a sword, a bow or a gun; these were the people who fought back and succeeded using whatever tools they had upon them and every single one was tested upon the surrounding stray priests. Dull metal was stabbed into whatever exposed victim the souls could find, roars of war matching the screams of agony as skin was seared by the torches, slashed at crudely with butcher's knives and torn away by pitchforks. The sight of a man losing his arm slowly to the force of a rake, another losing their eyes to merciless flames, it was far more than the librarian ever wanted to see, the moonlight only highlighting the torture them men were being put through.

Even the devils held no words for the acts being committed before them, Issei, Kiba and Koneko frozen solid in their place. Had anyone tried to attack them during that moment, they would've been completely at their mercy, but the small army that had gathered to face off against them was far too… occupied with the larger army facing them at least four to one. The French revolution could never claim to be a clean one for where weapons were rough, the hands behind them were usually rougher; no ordinary man at the time could be claimed as trained in the art of battle beyond what he was forced to learn in self-defence. Throughout it all, Charles-Henri was completely serene in the centre of the carnage, the hulking steel covered man completely at home even with the sounds of pain that rang through the night air. If Takumi didn't know any better, he might've believed that the servant was stunned silent, but if he strained his ears, a light hummed tune broke through the noise – he was actually _enjoying_ the sound and sight of people being tortured in such a way!

"Oi, what's taking you so long!? I thought you we-…" a maid dressed blonde wandered through the front door, her irritation immediately fading to give way to near disgusted shock as she saw the writhing figures being sieged upon by the summoned warriors. A small scoff escaped her lips when her eyes fell upon Freed, the white haired man completely entranced by the sight before him; she never could tell what the crazed man was thinking, but the thought didn't stay as long as she wanted before she was forcibly return to the agony of her men thanks to Charles-Henri's chuckles, his face hidden behind his mask.

"Are you here to witness the execution? After all, there was a reason why they had once been a public spectacle…" the armoured servant mused, twisting his blade in hand while the little blonde could give no answer beyond uselessly letting her mouth flap back and forth. "All of these men are guilty, guilty of assisting a crime most heinous. I cannot stand idly by when such an atrocity is to occur, for I am an executioner – my sole duty is to end evil through the use of evil."

And before anyone could question his words, the servant was a blur. No more screams filled the air in a second, an unearthly silence permeating the church atmosphere that threatened to suffocate most present. As soon as Charles-Henri stopped his movements, the copious amount of blood staining his being was made clear, trench coat near a completely different colour thanks to the life essence drenching the fabrics. A small flick of his blade removed the sins that tainted the metal, a deep breathe clearing his head to take in the silence.

"The hell…?" Issei was the first to speak when the scene before them finally sank in. there was not an inch of the ruined church floor that did not hold a body without a head, the various horrified faces torn away from the rest of their body without care. The cut itself was a relatively clean job, the lack of noise produced by the sword doing the decapitating the evidence for the professional job before them. Even with the time and effort, Takumi was struggling to believe that the heads could even be put with the correct body, not even speaking for the veritable sea that coloured the ground red as he tried to hold back the vomit that threatened to come due to the horrific scent. As the revolutionary souls faded away, the blonde latest arrival could only stumble backward without words, her eyes remaining upon the blood soaked servant as her feet failed her. Heavy thuds signalled the giant's approach, the girl receiving a first-hand look at the tainted steel that made up Charles-Henri's mask that she would've been much happier living without. Was she to meet the same fate as those accursed useless stray priests? There was a reason she had been hesitant to follow the orders of the rest of the group, look where it got Raynare, Dohnaseek and now her!

"…You are not like the others. You hold a special glint to your eye." The servant mused, the disappointed scoff behind him having them all turn to where Freed stood, his confidence somehow reborn even with the prior event still fresh in his eyes. "I suppose the more troubling issue would be dealing with you."

"Nah, I've seen enough of this crazy shit! Remember, a winner always knows when to retreat to fight another day!" the white haired stray priest declared jauntily, a hand up in farewell. "Well little Mittelt, I'm sure you can deal with this along with that fat boobed Kalawarner downstairs! Have fun!" and before anyone could protest, a smoke bomb forced them to turn away, not a single hair of the odd man left behind for Issei to spit at. The now named Mittelt could only look to where her (admittedly always a bit of a loose cannon) ally had disappeared from, the last shred of hope disappearing from her eye as se immediately shrank in on herself. The pose struck a sort of string within Takumi, to see the small fallen angel from the wings cowering in fear as her dress pooled around her. She was a fighter clearly outclassed, whose only hope at this point was that the death that was near prophesised could come quickly. To be sat in the blood of your former comrades, surrounded by their decapitated bodies while one of your enemies' fighters stood strong and blood soaked before for you was a position very few deserved to be in and from the looks of things, Mittelt wasn't exactly one who was to be put in that category.

"Disgusting." Koneko slightly growled as she kicked aside a heavy piece of furniture, the bodies before it flying away to reveal the stairs hidden beneath. Dark, grim and now sporting the first signs of blood leaking down them, the trip that was to come was certainly not going to be one that they would enjoy. The devils rushed down first, the barrier Alice held falling as the librarian approached the still trembling girl.

"Like a puppet cut from her strands, she barely has the strength to stand!" the little white haired caster sung to herself as she gently stepped forward, fully aware of the flinch that escaped Mittelt when she suddenly fell low to face her directly. "And such a pretty puppet too. Pretty puppets like you sell for a lot you know, especially with such a pretty dress. Some people do end up ruining a puppet's clothes though! They can barely be put back together afterward!"

While Takumi was pretty sure that Alice was talking about the real puppet in this case, it certainly didn't prevent his, or likely Mittelt's, imagination from going towards the pragmatic side. This was a situation the brunette never wanted to be in, one where he had the choice to end a life that planned to cause so much pain and anguish to someone. There was no doubt in his mind that the small blonde was attached to the previous fallen angels he had come into contact with, but she had yet to do anything wrong really; she had simply been stationed outside waiting while her companion apparently did something down below related to Asia, the screams of pain from the girl rising up the exposed stairs. Could he really kill them? Would it not be the same if he were to order her death from one of the servants?

"…Master. Think of what this girl might do in the future. She is connected to the others who apparently attacked you, I have no doubts that she is the sa-!" Charles-Henri began to explain, only to be cut off by the sharp hand that rose in response, the servant at least having the respect to stop at his master's demands.

"But she hasn't done it yet. You're an executioner right? Shouldn't you wait until they've done something worthy of being killed for?" Takumi countered, unable to look at the man who was in disregard to the scent that was starting to waft from his body. His job in life would clearly result in a sort of desensitisation to such a thing, but the fact he was so calm even with his job was a little bit disgusting to the librarian. "Just helping isn't worth being killed for."

"…I will stand by your decision master, though know that the luxury may not be one which you have in the future. Should it be proven to be the better choice, I will not hesitate in the next time." Charles-Henri declared, stepping back as Alice gave a small wave of her hand. whether she had been expecting it or not, Mittelt couldn't help the small shriek that escaped her as the vines wrapped around her body in a purple aura, her struggles failing to cause even the slightest chance for her escape as Alice moved at the same time as Jack to Takumi's welcoming arms. "It appears that master is still not used to the prospect of death. How unfortunate and troublesome…"

It would take a small amount of time before Takumi could find the strength to continue down the stairs, Jack quick to draw her knives as their eyes landed upon the blue haired woman standing triumphantly upon the top of an altar with what appeared to be a pair of rings in hand, a laugh escaping her as she looked to the no doubt dead body chained up against the cross. Placing the two rings close to her bountiful chest, the woman gave a sigh as she absorbed the objects, a green glint having them appear upon her hand as if they were there all the time.

"So this is Kalawarner…"

"I apologise, but your friends were a little too late to stop me. With this power, I can finally be more than ever…" Kalawarner breathed, a small cut running along her side easily returning to normal with but a brief exposure to the power now at the fallen angel's disposal. "And here I thought it would that stuck up bitch Raynare who would end up doing the deed. I guess she and Dohnaseek just weren't up for the task. It wasn't as if they deserved it though, too small minded for my taste."

"Wait… so that girl died because… you were in a power struggle?" Takumi questioned, his eyes to the ground as the woman laughed down upon him. "Issei's friend died because you wanted to beat one another?"

"I wouldn't put it that way, but welcome to the real world kid. It isn't just game over and restart when you lose in life." Kalawarner teased, a sudden glow revealing the light spear that sprung to life in her hand. "We're fallen angels, we're meant to do what we want! Not even a stuck up god can control us now! We all make our own choices and their choices failed them, don't start getting all upset because I managed to succeed where they didn't!"

"That's not what has me upset you idiot… she didn't have to die just because you wanted to get one up on someone else!" There was no denying that Issei had his eyes firmly upon Takumi, as did the other devils within the church basement as Kalawarner's eyebrow raised. To their eyes, there probably wasn't a reason for Takumi to be so upset at the death of someone he had no prior contact with, but this was different, at least to the librarian. This was the death of someone who was close to his friend, this was the death of a person that could've easily been his friend as well. That was more than enough reason for Takumi to feel this way right? He could afford to be a little bit serious in this situation, right? "…Mech. This is the kind of person who you can execute. People who have no excuse for their actions, not someone who was just following orders reluctantly, not someone who happened to be caught at the wrong place at a bad time. People like her, who can't ever be forgiven, they are ready to be placed upon the chopping board."

"Like you even could!" That was it for Jack; this woman had decided to set her eyes upon her father and that was something she could never forgive. Forget trying to see if this was her mother – if this _person_ turned out to be her mother, Jack was more than happy to be abandoned as her knives got in the way of the spear thrown forward, knocking it to the side to dissipate without issue. Kiba had drawn his sword in confusion by the time the fog rolled in, Koneko entering the first combat pose that she could think of, only to drop it when the fog seemed to wrap around their beings. Only Issei was ready for when the mystifying mist came towards them, looking to the near opaque gas in hopes of even a glimpse of what was to happen.

It was rather infuriating to Kalawarner, having what appeared to be no more than a brat matching her in a fight she so clearly should've won. There was a small part of the blue haired fallen angel that wanted to acknowledge the fact that when it came to fighting at least, both Raynare and Dohnaseek outclassed her even if they weren't as good as planning, but it was ruthlessly crushed by the part of her that demanded the blood of the child in front of her. There was a reason Kalawarner had made it this far, not them! She deserved to succeed after all the times she had been shunted to the side! All of that time as an angel, having to forgo everything in the name of the lord, unable to bask in the glory you so rightly deserved… she managed to escape that only for Kalawarner to be thrown to the side once more! Now that she had the sacred gear, it was her time to be in the spotlight and some kid wasn't going to change that!

 _Tick, tock, watch, the clock,_

 _Always, tiptoe, never stomp._

 _Tick, tock, time, never stops,_

 _She will move on, never blocked._

 _Knife in hand she will end up your death._

 _Time will just tick on until nothing's left._

 _Rotting, fading, never a trace_

 _Give her a minute you'll barely have a face!_

 _Tick, tock, watch, the clock,_

 _Always, tiptoe, never stomp._

 _Tick, tock, time, never stops,_

 _She will move on, never blocked._

"Alice." At the assassin's call, the caster stepped forward, several glowing orbs launching towards the lady at speeds beyond Takumi's comprehension, Kalawarner struggling to avoid he sudden barrage of blasts sent her way. A quick test stab towards one of them immediately proved them to be strong enough to break through her spears without issue, the fallen angel's brow folding at the thought. It wouldn't take long though before she quickly resorted to simply throwing the spears, though the quick hand of the saber servant had each and every attempt blocked from ever reaching Takumi. She had never truly prepared herself for large group combat; it was usually said that for fallen angels, it is better to be a stronger team than a strong individual.

"Where is Mittelt!? That useless loli got herself killed, didn't she?" Kalawarner growled out, pausing in her attacks with a small pant. There was no denying that the constant production of light spears was beginning to drain her energy and she had never been one for constant fighting ever. "I knew I never should've put a brat like her in charge of watching out."

"It would be better if you focused upon your opponents right now!" Kiba reminded as he dashed forward, a sword in his hand almost appearing from thin air as he slashed towards the hastily pulled up light spear. It was quick to seemingly melt from Kalawarner's hand however, a dark aura practically eating away at the weapon as Kiba smiled. "After all, with tools like Light eraser, I can swallow the light in darkness. Do not think that abusing our weakness will be so easy." It didn't stop the kick from trying to impact his stomach, the male devil leaping away in time for Koneko to punch forward at the air, Kalawarner's wings allowing her to easily take to the air.

"So maybe you have one weapon which can deal with light, that doesn't mean I'm out of tricks!" there had been a small cut made by Kiba's sword before he was forced to move away thanks to the return counter, but that wasn't to be taken as much of an issue. The ring upon Kalawarner's finger took on a gentle green glow, the cut too taking on a similar hue before it started to seal without complaint until barely a single sign of its presence remained. If she was able to recover from every attack they made, it would take forever for them to actually defeat them. The only choice they had… "Every attack you put on me is useless! You can't defeat the invincible."

"Issei…" Takumi spared a glance at the boy's direction, his gauntlet taking on the green glow that showed his boosted power during the work of the other two towards Kalawarner. During that period, there was plenty of time for Issei to activate his ability to strengthen himself and, both fortunately and unfortunately, it seemed that the sight of Asia dead was more than enough to have the boy trembling in anger. What Takumi wasn't expecting to see however was the great column of power that seemed to arise from the hand, crimson surrounding the boy as he recklessly charged forth with the largest yell he could muster. Right before their eyes, the gauntlet began to grow, claws coming from the edge to cover his fingers as the armour stretched up his arm, strong enough to dismiss one of the incoming light spears with just a single swipe.

"If you think you can just go and kill Asia and take her power without consequence… then this is less than you deserve!" Issei cried, the impact practically screaming as the younger brunette did more than bruise with the collision between metal and vulnerable flesh. Kalawarner's eyes had already opened beyond their maximum, her fear fully voiced as she tried to muster up the necessary power to question the sudden boost, but the punch already had her flying out of the window to Alice's cheers.

* * *

"Oh my. I see that Issei managed to grow his power too, but do you really think it was safe to leave them alone in there?" Akeno questioned from her place beside her president, Rias having ordered her to remain outside while the combat occurred. The only response from her leader was closed eyes, a smile finding its way onto her lips.

"A sacred gear user will find their strength grows in periods of great emotional turmoil and stress. If we were there, there would be less chance of letting the nun die and thus it would be less likely for Issei to get the power that he has now." Rias reasoned, a knowing twinkle entering her eye. "Besides, we also got to see the power of the new friend Takumi has at his side. I can't help but find him… delicious, the more I learn of this little librarian." The glow to her eyes was definitely not natural and Akeno wasn't exactly sure how to respond to it; there were few chances for such a shine to enter her president's eye and when it did, it usually involved something far more benign, usually her interest in the Japanese culture.

"The time for him to arrive is coming soon. I must make sure that things are in my favour and I'm certain that the deal I have in store for him… there's no way he could ignore a deal with the devil right? He didn't last time…"

* * *

 **Yes, yes, let's stop there for now. Tell me, what do you think? There are many servant suggestions co** **ming my way and I especially liked the idea of scheherazade, but unfortunately, we already have our caster... both of them. I'll let you tell the easy hint from that. Of course, this isn't the only noble phantasm at Saber's beck and call,his normal one is there as well in a very special way... Also, can anyone make cover art? The one used is literally something I made in two seconds and I want something a bit more nice to look at.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - original**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	8. Chapter 8 - the movement

**Right, let's get this show back on the road. How are we all doing? I've finally got the main servants who are going to appear set and now it's just a case of letting you guess who they are! I'm going to say what I did in another of my stories, I'm not quite sure what happened at the end becasue it all kind of just became a blur when I was** **writing that. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Ex-aid: Oi Takumi, who are they?_

 _Takumi: I'm... not exactly sure. could they be the enemy?_

 _Ex-aid: Well they certainly on't seem like the good guys right now!  
_

 _Takumi: We'll have to do some investigating. Let's go full force!_

 _E-a + T: Game start! The story begins!_

* * *

"Tell me Caster, how far are you with the preparations you claimed you would do?" an impatient voice questioned, a low groan escaping the body before them as a foot tapped irritably upon the floor. "After all, Archer has been assisting you with the ideas and hypotheticals; the least you could do is act upon them."

"I'm doing it! Just… give me time. After all, even if I am good with this sort of stuff, it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do you know! There's so much… folding." The girl sat before the glow of five screens was certainly not the first image one would have when they imagined a powerful hero. A pink hood sent shadows across her face as the glint of light reflected from her glasses, hands working furiously upon the paper before her. "Besides, it's not as if you need them immediately, right? The prior scouts haven't managed to find anything of note at least."

"Actually, I believe you'll find that to be outdated information; though considering what you've been doing all this time, it only speaks of your failure as a servant, does it not?" The voice growled out, the foot stopping as a sigh escaped them. "Signs of servants have been found congregating in the town of Kuoh. There's no doubt that a master is to be found there. Indeed, there has been sight of what could be assumed to be a Saber battling within the town."

"It was assassin, wasn't it? I don't like the feel of… I don't even know what to call them." The girl hissed out, cuddling into herself. "She's always so quiet and she never acts like anything more than a machine at times! Why couldn't you have gotten an assassin with an actual personality!?"

"Who are you complaining when you barely talk to anyone anyway!?" the voice cried out in indignation, a step forward having them just one step closer to their hands around the blanket shrouded girl's neck. "I'd rather her methodical efficiency to your useless paper craft! What do you expect me to do when your little ornaments have brought back nothing of use until it's too late? Remember, the plan has been set; it would be best if you followed it through."

The sound of footsteps trailing away had the girl release a sigh of relief, glasses threatening to fall off pushed back into proper position. This wasn't the first time they had that conversation and there was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn't be the last; they just didn't appreciate the intricacies that came with her abilities, the limitless potential! Given enough time, she could literally form a stampede through the streets and be ready to fight back with more afterward and yet because her master was so intent on using her purely for scouting, she never was able to properly shine. Who known how they would've reacted if they learnt of her original class?

As one of her creations fluttered down to rest upon her shoulder, a finger began to gently rub against the paper. At least they had no reason to abandon her, to yell at her and put her life of peace at chaos. They made far better friends than anyone else possibly could; they didn't try to yell at you when you did something 'wrong' or send you away when you spoke of something they didn't like. They were the best friends a girl could ask for.

Still, she had a job to fulfil and there was little reason to pause there. She had worked far later into the night than this and it was something that came naturally to her. Even when sleeping, one doesn't stop breathing after all – this sort of work was simply that engrained into her very nature. Perhaps she would try working with some new designs, possibly something that would last longer, yet still remain inconspicuous. It wouldn't do to start another legend in a place she was simply trying to explore from the comfort of her room. If she started a new legend, would that mean she would be in throne of heroes twice? There were certainly servants who had done so, different points of their lives appearing in the same place at the same time - needless to say, it would be a bit strange if that were to happen. Probably wouldn't even talk to herself.

But that was rambling, she needed to get back to work. If only Berserker was here, he was one of the few people she could perhaps deal with, mostly because he remained silent unless spoken to and even that was sometimes a random chance event. Her master had truly summoned a very strange mix of servants, but then again, they had used no catalyst to call upon them. That meant they were servants that best aligned with them and their personality; that could mean a whole number of things. When she had been called upon, it was such a surprise, but she merely acted the way she would've done had it been anyone else; simply introduced herself and started doing he usual stuff. That had most definitely caused more than a little ire from her master – probably not the best way to introduce yourself to a long partnership.

She couldn't complain however. They let her stay within her room and do all of her operations discretely, which was always a bonus no matter what class container you were in. it had meant perhaps a bit more cooperation than she might've given under certain other circumstances, but that just meant it was a win-win situation for the both of them right? There was no need to complain when you too profited from the agreement. The latest creation had been quite a bit o jump to it, leaping up to try and nibble upon her shoulder mounted friend, to her giggles.

Why yes. Far better friends than anyone could ever ask for.

* * *

"Stupid shitty devils… stupid shitty devil lovers…" Freed growled as she stormed through the alleyway, the moon acting as his only light through the sleeping streets. It had been a fast escape when he dashed away from the church; crazy as he may be, he certainly wasn't willing to let himself be killed when he had so much fodder at his hands to do it for him. Unfortunately, that did leave him without a base of operations for now; it would not be fun to be the one to report the failings of the group, so he was more than happy to find a home to kill the owners of and take for his own. After all, as long as you got rid of the bodies quickly, you could barely smell a thing! "Argh! I need to cut something up! Shoot someone's knees off, just something!"

But that was when he drew his sword, the blade of light clashing with great sparks against steel. They did well to hide the opposition's face for some reason; as soon as the faded away from their initial bright burst, there was barely a figure in sight. Was it even possible to do such a thing without a great power like Excalibur Rapidly!? But there was no time to speak, for a single slight whisper in the breeze forced him to raise his weapon once more, a similar clash occurring until a second later had no soul to speak of before him.

"Now, now, this isn't any fun! Don't you want to look into my eyes as you kill me!? See the horrors of my soul!? That's what all you heroes want in the world, right?" Freed cackled, his sword slashing rapidly around him at any sign of movement he could find. Even with the number of sudden blitzes and surprise attacks, there was simply nothing he could pick from his attacker, their movements swift and unyielding even when staring into the face of madness. It took a strong conviction to do such a thing and though Freed tried to bury it as far down as he could, there was still a slight respect for the assassin. "You know, you're not the first one to try and kill me… but this has got to be the most fun since a few minutes ago!"

But there was no response as the attacks seemingly began to pick up in their pace. Without something like Excalibur Rapidly in his hands, it would quickly be too fast for even Freed to keep up with, the first beads of sweat appearing upon his brow. While he could even keep up with some weak knight class devils, this was starting to reach a whole different level." Just who the hell are you anyway!? Don't you want to introduce yourself before we dance like this?"

"…My name is not important." The first time the assassin spoke was hard as metal, almost artificial in its sound. Perhaps it was the way they truly sounded or some sort of changer that freed never really cared about, they did little to pause their attacks. While it would most likely affect his swinging speed, his other hand reached towards his gun, the bullets quick to fly in the assumed direction of the attacker. When they were defending themselves from afar, it was much easier to see the girl for who she was, ninja garbs draping her body as a long curtain of black fell behind her.

"ooh, arm blades? I always wanted some of those, but nobody wanted to give them to me!" Freed whined as he continued his bullet barrage. "But do you think they're going to be enough against little old me!? Spoilers: no!"

Though the stray priest was clearly enjoying himself, his opponent found him… quite lacking in all honesty. He showed no form of skill, no pride or joy in his movements like she recalled in some of the faceless fighters she had gone against, yet the white haired man also lacked any of the discipline or serenity of those who chose the other path. He was merely just a madman allowed to swing a blade and place a finger upon a trigger – dead before he could even know. It was strange, the orders from her master, seeing as she wasn't exactly one to play with her prey, but if this was to be the specimen which she studied in order to find the average ability of fighters in this place, then that was to be her prerogative.

But if they were all at the level of this man, then she sincerely hoped that the enemy servants started to attack with all haste. A single slash to his throat would be enough to stop his incessant blabbering, a swift movement of her arm good enough to remove his own. There were simply so many holes in his guard that she could exploit that any of the possible enjoyment another of her profession could get was simply negated. Even if they buried it behind masks upon masks of stoicism and fearlessness, an assassin liked to have a challenge to help improve their own skills, so to see such a pitiful fighter act as the representative of this entire place's abilities… she could only hope that there were others of far higher grade and that this was simply her master rushing to find out as much as she could.

"Eh, aren't you going to attack again!? Is this a ruse to get me to lower my guard again?" Freed joked, his stance tense as he looked around the alleyway. After a moment of silence, an even heartier laugh escaped him as he let his body loosen up, even if not fully. "Well, you've got my attention down. You could do whatever you want now… even…wh-ARGH!"

It was a trick the stray priest had employed multiple times before and he had been led to believe he was actually pretty good at pulling it off. By giving the constant presence of a man who was relaxed even when fighting, there were few who would ever be able to guess when he had his guard down, meaning there were a few who were happy to believe he was insane enough to actually do so. When he made the suggestion, it was meant to pull them into his trap, or at least make it easier for Freed to determine their position. This… was never meant to happen.

It defied all of his usual tricks. Whether it be listening for the sound of an incoming projectile, feeling the movement of a man charging towards him or feeling the vibrations of spells charging through the air, there were multiple different facets that the white haired man took into account when he was preparing to counter the strike that was going to come his way. That was why, when stray fingers moved to his chest, he was surprised by the sudden warmth, the wet touch of his own life force outside of his body. The blood dripped endlessly from within him, a garbled noise exiting his lips as whatever struck him was immediately drawn out once more to let an even greater amount of crimson liquid flood from the all too large crater that was his abdomen. To do an attack like that… it would require no less than a literal arm's size and things of that width naturally required a great amount of strength and wind displacement. For him to miss it completely… just who was his person!?

As the priest fell to the ground, she could only look upon the slowly dying corpse with little emotion. There wasn't even anything that could stand a chance of making him memorable in her books save for the fact that he would most likely be an example of her easiest kill. Even those who weren't able to fight back could be considered harder than this fight had been; at least then there was the smallest idea in the back of her mind that she was about to kill mercilessly and that _maybe had a slight chance_ of making her feel _a bit_ guilty. A quick flick of her arm had the excess blood upon it removed to the ground below – there were signs of rain to come and it would be more than suitable for washing away the last remnants of this foul man. A few whispered words and gestures had the body ablaze, the light mixing with that of the moon's as she leapt to the rooftop, her second objective quickly brought to the forefront of her mind.

She had found the first signs of a servant at the church, which was caused her master to declare the white haired man a threat considering he exited alive. Whether they would still be at the same place after this time was debatable, considering that the fight seemed to have already been dealt with if the man had escaped, but it would still be a reasonable action to check once more. Hopefully there would also be some sort of trace of an unaligned servant to find; her master was yet to summon a Saber or a Rider, meaning that it could save precious time and resources if they could find one already brought forth to this world. The Saber that had been fighting at the church was most likely already aligned, so that was immediately out of the window, but perhaps another servant might've decided to check out the aftermath like she did.

There were precious few other places where a servant might hide. Perhaps the school if they wanted an easy access to a large amount of unprotected souls or a heavily populated area like a residential district. Of course, it would also be beneficial for them to hide away, which would leave all of the less populated areas to check as well. It was most certainly a work in process to check for any signs, but it was work that she was more than happy to fulfil. She was merely a puppet for her master to utilise and if this was the way she was to be utilised then that was it. She could kill the small part of her that wished to think for herself for the sake of a job in this situation.

Kuoh academy was quickly in her view, a few windows still surprisingly lit even at this time of night. It would most likely be best if she went to investigate just who was active, for there was rarely anyone who would choose to work at such a time at a school; there was an incredibly high chance of it being just what her master desired. There was little defence to protect it, meaning it was a simple task of finding herself beside the window, a special illusion placed upon herself to prevent any stray nightwalker from seeing her. Her skills had proven themselves flawless before and there was little reason for them to fail now as she listened to the female voice within. Young, meaning it was highly likely that she actually went to the school. Tight, stressed due to overworking or - no, stress due to a bad situation. Possibly related to non-school based matters? There was another voice, similar tone and age: a friend most likely attempting to help her with whatever ailed her.

…Oh? So they were planning something and it held no doubts of being of supernatural origin. This was vital information that she held, meaning it was time to report back to her master as soon as possible, dashing away with speeds unthought-of. When Rias' eyes were drawn to the window, she would come to think of it as mere hallucination, the stress of coming events and recently experienced being more than enough to excuse her for a few strange thoughts. At least she had a nice cu of tea to quell the coming aches.

* * *

The library had been coping well recently. The flood of people continued and a surprisingly large donation from their sponsor meant they had been able to get a new supply of books in. t had been surprisingly out of the blue and Takumi wasn't exactly sure why the donation had come in, but if it meant expanding their collection, then who was he to complain? In fact, the sponsor was coming to apparently see what had recently come in; if he hadn't spent the donation, perhaps they might've stopped all together. Fortunately he had decided upon a day where he would be most open – the best impressions were made when you could put the most effort into them.

Fortunately, the whole place was perfectly done up and from the survey he had done with the regulars, it seemed as if people were happy with the way things were going. As long as there weren't any large mishaps, thing should all go smoothly and he would most likely be able to add a little extra to the volunteers' pay checks at the end of the day. It was always funny watching when the volunteers got their adjusted pay – at first, they weren't getting paid at all like any other volunteer and the library was unable to afford to pay them in the first place. Then the sponsor suddenly came during his tenant and started giving in such generous donations and Takumi just felt as if it would be right considering how much they helped out at times. They certainly weren't expecting it, but who were they to turn down a viable sudden source of income?

He had been told what to look for, so when the first glint of the red hair and tall stature peeked its way through the door, the brunette was already standing to greet the man. The girls were busy enjoying themselves with the other children, and Charles-Henri was already occupied at the hospital, meaning that Takumi had no reason to fear as he reached out his hand towards the man. It was why he was so surprised when he fully took in the appearance of the man, standing rather authoritive in his suit as he scanned the surrounding lobby, the man's vibrant red hair practically glowing in the light. Such a shade was rare and the only time he had seen it was… of course, he had introduced himself as Gremory before, hadn't he? It certainly explained a lot of things.

"Takumi, isn't it? Takumi Yuu, the man who was able to take a weakening place and make it magical once more." He spoke with a powerful voice, even when speaking softly. It was almost enrapturing, the very aura he held as he simply conversed and Takumi didn't need to look around to know there were more than a few with their eyes upon them. It was nice to see how the man was so relaxed; to be honest, Takumi had been expecting someone far stricter in their behaviour, hence why he had gone to so much trouble to ensure that everything was alright. He had never actually met the man before and you could only prepare for the worst. "I'm immediately impressed with what you've done to this place. There's certainly no lack of people happy to partake compared to how it was before."

"That's true. After all, back then it felt like I was the only one who wanted to use the place." Takumi mused, leading the man further inward. It had been a troubling time for the library; there was barely a hand that wanted to assist there save for his own and the person sat behind the desk wasn't exactly the most chipper either. "It wasn't exactly a surprise when the last librarian left. I guess he was just a little too early to leave, otherwise he would be the one standing in this place."

"Now that's something completely different, isn't it?" the man mused in return, a hand scratching his chin. "I've met the one that was in charge before you and here simply wasn't the heart to pull of something like this. You would practically need magic in order to convince him to join with the repairs."

Join in with the repairs? Why would the previous man have joined in with the repairs considering that finding people to do so would be no challenge? In fact, the way that the man stated it was more than strange in and of itself, so why would he… oh. Oh yeah. Perhaps pushing that little incident to the back of his mind wasn't exactly the best of things to do, especially now that he had made the connection between the two. But mentioning it might cause the key supply of income that had been moving to the library to be cut off, which would mean he would have to cut down on certain facilities… but was a few facilities really worth not confronting a member of their family about the act that their own blood committed? Was he really meant to hold back at this moment because he needed a bit of money!?

…Why was he getting so wound up other this? After all, it wasn't meant to be in his nature to be so callous… was it? Didn't he already forgive this action? His head hurt… but that was simply fodder for another time. Now, he had to make sure to give Mr. Gremory a proper tour through all of the changes that had been made and ensure that the work he had done was satisfactory for the man… right? Something didn't feel right, not in his mind, but what could be wrong? Takumi was certain that it couldn't be the preparations, so it had to be something else… was there something he was forgetting? Trying to remember? Trying to correct? Why did his head hurt in the presence of this man all of a sudden, it just didn't make an…

And before Takumi could even formulate a response, he was out like a light.

* * *

 _Why is it that eagles can fly,_

 _When we need planes to soar the sky?_

 _Why is it that lions can roar,_

 _At sounds double that of ours and more?_

 _Upon ice, why can penguins glide,_

 _When we barely have the skill to slide?_

 _Why is it that Cheetahs can run,_

 _Three times as fast as us for fun?_

 _All I know is humans can try,_

 **But that's about it.**

Humans in many ways weren't a powerful species. After all, they lacked the inherent strength, agility and sheer capability that many other animals and insects were able to utilise. There is a reason why we have such a wide range of tools at our disposal in order to augment our natural skills and we idolised those who were able to create them, use them beyond what we were able to comprehend and push them beyond their initial usage. We weave tales of those who were able to achieve feats considered inhumane, believed to be mere dreams even to this day we consider 'advanced'.

The pages before him… these were the pages of past and future. This was where even the tales of those considered normal and even forgettable were forever inscribed, each and every side character and minute appearance considered vital to the plot. After all, everyone had to affect another in their life, who would go on to affect others in an endless loop of potentially positive feedback. To have such knowledge at his fingertips, to be able to see everyone for what they had truly done in their lives… that was a precious thing, no matter who was the one holding it.

And fingers rubbed against the blank pages, space that was immediately being put to use writing even more within the bible of humanity. As time ticked on, people acted; it was a certainty that would continue until the very last human died out. There were none upon the earth that would be able to boast of seeing such a thing before their very eyes and yet here he was watching the words appear in beautiful cursive before him. So what was the pot beside the magnificent book?

There was no pen for which he could write too, and what was the point of writing within a book that wrote itself endlessly? There was certainly no reason for it to end now, considering that people were happily living their lives, pages of Stuarts and Victorians and Romans all written to the present day without fail. It was only when his hand accidently reached out to touch the delicate glass that he understood the reason it stood, the smallest drop falling upon the top of the page where a name was covered by the invading ink.

 _****stood up, their words yelled and yet no one even knew they were there…_

" _Oh, who are you again? Are we meant to be friends?"_

If he wasn't watching the words afterward morphing before his very eyes, he might've believed that it was a move of no consequence, just a little stain in a book that could be read around. That wasn't what happened however, for it seemed as if the happy conversation that was occurring before had completely changed, almost as if they forgot… the name…

His hand withdrew from the inky acid immediately. To so easily tamper with the book, the book that was holding the futures of people as they occurred, it was a reality he wasn't so happy to take in. he had flickered back through the pages, his own story and even that which he had not done found within the words. For the tale where he had forgiven Rias in short time, there was the story of how he had lashed out without repair, where the hypnosis went off without a scratch and far more. Why it was like that, he wasn't sure, for it was the only 'character' that had such alternatives – did whoever reading it see themselves and their choices rather than just the choice taken? What would it be like if he blotted out his own history by accident, erased that which he had done with a simple swath of ink?

…he couldn't help the hand that reached out to lift the ink well, the darkness within swirling with an inherent darkness that made him tremble. Such a mundane thing, yet holding so much power within it under the right circumstance. Like a 3d printer in the hand of killer, he could potentially create something devastating; if he had a pen, would he be able to write the future and how it would happen within the book? If he had corrector, would he be able to rewrite history rather than just erase parts and let the book deal with the inconsistencies?

… _Part of Takumi was also becoming far more used to staying out during the night as the group within the Occult Research club were almost making it a hobby to take the librarian out on various jobs, just to see the sheer variety of work that was available and what benefits joining with them could hold._

… _Part of Takumi wondered what it would've been like if he responded to the invitation, but for the girl to have such nerve in trying to act genial after what she had done? That required serious idiocy! Perhaps it was better for everyone that he didn't go, they were devils after all – for all he knew, they were going to kill him!_

… _Takumi held no regrets in having both Alice and Jack do their worst in retaliation to Rias' attack upon his person. After all, retribution deserved to at least be in equal measure to the crime, right? To see her stuck as a squirming mess upon the ground, her mind barely able to hold itself together… Takumi couldn't help but find it BEAUTIFUL._

So many paths he could erase, make dominant… though there was no difference between it and the other lines, he had lived the first option; he knew it to be the dominant one, at least to himself. If he were to erase the others, it would have no effect on him. If he were to destroy it however, leave him with just a different road he had taken in life… would it erase him alongside it? Would he be changed? Would he find a completely different world waiting for him, or would it have turned out much the same?

 _"I can assure you, we would be able to match a wide variety of your desires, so you may wish for a great many of things in return."_

 _And that was when the pain started._

Maybe he could erase the actions of Rias, make her into a better person. Maybe he could make it so that the annoying headaches that came up ever since the event were completely gone. There were so many possibilities he could go through simply by applying the ink to the pages, delicate and careful censorship that might improve their relationship, change someone for the better. That was when he flipped back to the latest page, words continuing to be formed upon the pages like water through a river. That was when he had one of his most dangerous thoughts yet.

What if he was to blacken the rest of the pages? Prevent the book from writing any more of the future for people? Would it simply mean the end of all humanity in that moment, once there and then suddenly gone? Would it result in the destruction of the earth, unable to proceed any further? Maybe he was just other thinking things, that the book would simply add more pages into the mix and continue without issue seeing as it covered nothing of importance. The human mind wasn't meant to be able to deal with such choices, seeing as we simply weren't meant to be able to hold such power in mortal hands. It did little to stop the inkwell from approaching the paper, the book holding both future and past continuing with its recordings perfectly unaware of the imminent danger. There was no need for it to stop; the danger was not to it, but the people detailed within. To affect the characters by altering the book… now that was an interaction level beyond anything else.

The black liquid stained his hands as it spilled over the edge, threatening to darken another piece of text before he quickly flipped to the last page, the drop thankfully pouring onto a corner that would undoubtedly go unused. That was a close one indeed, some poor soul nearly going deleted within the book. When there was blank space, it would be (most likely) at least, a lot safer.

" _ **I will blot out the pages where your future would be written! This world will reach its bad end!"**_

A quick glance to his side showed a man furiously wiping his hand against the paper, the black sludge upon it staining every inch he touched. Though he did not see it, there was no doubt that millions had fallen at that very moment, their futures erased without any hope of revival. It would not be long until another appeared at his other side, a pen furiously writing away with hundreds of names put down on the paper without pause. Hundreds of similar faces burst from the darkness, furiously wiping away lives and rewriting them with reckless abandon, all while he simply remained frozen in his place. Was this what he was going to become? What he could be? There were various lines running through the book; it wasn't hard to believe he was the only one of himself being faced with this situation. Could he act like another?

" _ **This needs to end… we can't keep living like this anymore. If I have to, I'll write out your lives and you'll never need to worry again…"**_

No! That wasn't the kind of person he was! He just wanted to read, not mess about He was no author! The well was thrown far into the darkness, book slammed shut as deep breathes escaped him. His mind had not been the same in recent times and this… this was just the straw that broke his back. A sudden clapping in the air had him pause in his actions, turning to find no origin to the booming voice that filled the air.

"Good, good… though you struggled with its powers before, bent to its will, you grow stronger now…" it held power, power beyond anything he could've imagined. There was no gender, though it was not needed – there was no age, though it was not needed. It simply spoke and through its words, he felt renewed, if a bit frightened. "You are the one who will come to claim these pages. There are forces out there that will twist your mind, that will test your resolve beyond even my capabilities. I must apologise; I've played you into the hands of the devils once more by forcing you into forgiveness."

What on earth was the voice speaking of? Had it been the cause of the headaches that plagued his body? That forced him into actions not his own? How was he meant to react to the news that some sort of supernatural force had been messing with his mind? How long had it been messing with his thoughts?

"You should watch out for the doll that threatens your safety. The fox may run, but it shall not hunt you down, the forces at hand may not crush you. Their minds are too slow to beat you, so destroy them. Crush them underfoot and take the pages in hand, become the god of this new world…"

It was fading! What one earth was it talking about, come back! Fox!? Doll!? But the world was fading to white around him and though he scrambled forward, it was as if the book was being drawn ever further from his reach.

* * *

 **And let's hold it right there folks! Yep, no idea what's going on there. It's not going to be a grail war if that's what you're thinking, I can at least read the reviews that don't want that. Still trying to get over my little slump, perhaps you'll get some better quality eventually but until then, i can only ask that you keep supporting me through this rough time! Also, precure references.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - original**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	9. Chapter 9 - the proposition (proper)

**Welcome back people once more to my lovely little abode. The majority of this chapter feels a little 'filler' ish to me, it's really just talking for the entirety, but I promise you, there's definitely action to come. the Riser scene was one of the few that I had in my mind from the start; Jack placed against a large group of girls? Magical. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Naruto: A librarian fighting the supernatural? I know of a lot of strange people, but definitely not that!_

 _Takumi: And I've never heard of anything close to a space pirate with the power of over two hundred!_

 _Naruto: What can I say? You better get used to the idea of strangeness in the world you're in!_

 _Takumi: I'm scared that I pretty much already am..._

 _N + T: Showtime! The story begins!_

* * *

Upon the first fluttering of his eyes, Takumi wasn't exactly sure where he was. The incoherent blur of colours would require just a bit of time before they eventually solidified into the forms of the three servants before him, their eyes sharp as numerous blades found their way before the man sat in front of them. It would then need an additional few seconds before that face was once more recognised by Takumi, the brown haired man leaping out of his position as he pulled back both Jack and Charles-Henri.

"You two, what the heck are you doing!? This man's the library sponsor!" he cried out, a small curse echoing in the back of his head. After all, there would be no easy way for him to explain off their actions when the man had been so clearly shown the weapons; he would be lucky if the lowest thing that happened to him was the removal of is don… Wait, relations to Rias Gremory, right. So he was pretty much screwed either way.

"Ah, so you're awake once more. I must admit, it had been somewhat of a shock when you suddenly collapsed – I feared there had been something dangerous afflicting you." The red haired man remarked, scratching at his chin. "Fortunately, a preliminary check proved you to be more than fine, though my own skills don't really expand beyond that. You're friends here also took offence to such an action it seems."

The man was oddly serene in the way he spoke of having the swords and knives against his body. If he really was related to Rias as Takumi had assumed, wouldn't that also mean that he had heard of what had happened? Had Rias not even spoken about her experiences with him? The brown haired man could only give out a small chuckle in response, a hand reaching to rub the back of his head awkwardly – maybe he was simply taking this even better than he had been taking it.

"I suppose I must apologise. They really are true friends to me, they would defend e from anything that could even be remotely harmful." The librarian answered eventually, Charles-Henri's face emotionless as he looked onto the donor – perhaps it was the fact it was an illusion over a mask, or maybe it wasn't, Takumi had no way of knowing. "I suppose it would be best to ask this now, do you have any relationship with a Rias Gremory?"

"I was waiting for that question; she's told me a great amount about you. It appears she's taken a large interest in you. If it wasn't for that, I most likely would've already taken my leave, but I just had to speak with you or more appropriately… apologise to you. My sister never should've acted in the way she did, but she's is quite uneducated even if she will not admit it. As Sirzechs Gremory of the house of Gremory, I can only ask for whatever forgiveness you see fit to give."

To see the older man bowing to him was incredibly uncomforting to the brown haired librarian as is eyes moved across his servants and back to the bent Gremory. They were still holding in him in contempt apparently, even when he was being offered an apology. Was it the fact that it wasn't Rias herself giving the apology? No, she had already given an apology… was it the fact that there was another Gremory within the library?

"A-ah! You don't have to apologise for that… I'm already… over it." Takumi gave a wince at the rising eyebrow across from him. So neither of them was going to accept that as even vaguely true, fair enough. "It's all in the past now, isn't it? Shouldn't we just move on with our lives?"

"…A great tolerance to unnatural occurrences and surprisingly forgiving personality. I fear that it is people like you who are the weakest when it comes to mental influences, even the simplest words." the man sighed, drawing himself up to his full height with a glance spared towards the saber servant. It couldn't exactly be classed as something akin to a staring contest, but their battle of wills was short, eyes passing over one another for but a second as the man approached. "That is why, with permission of course, I would like to analyse your mind. The causes of the headaches you've apparently been experiencing could be explained if I find the right anomalies within your mindscape."

It could be easily believed to be a plot, a moment's weakness taken advantage of to cause even further irreparable damage. It was a risk he really couldn't afford to take at this moment and from the pout on Caster's face, Alice wasn't exactly feeling too happy about the offer being made either.

"Why should we let a weird guy like you do that anyway!? You're weirdo sister tried to brainwash our master, who's to say you're any different!" the white haired girl cried, clutching her book tighter by the second. If Takumi didn't know that it was some sort of magical instrument, then he might've been scared for the materials that rightly should've ripped under her grasp and yet continued to hold together. "I don't wanna let you!"

"Indeed, I too must speak for my master when I say you have only done little to prove yourself to be on our side." The saber added, his hand returning to the grip of his sword as the man backed away a step. Wouldn't do to accidently behead his own master due to a lack of space to control his swing. "While you have yet to harm him, there is little reason for us to believe you hold no intentions to do so save for the fact that you've been donating to this library."

"Those are reasonable concerns, ones that I have been attempting to mull over in anticipation for this visit." Sirzechs declared in responses, his words slow and calculated as he tried his best to come off as unthreatening as possible. When he held such posture though, held himself with such a natural aura of power that couldn't be held back, there just wasn't any helping the slight intimidation he caused even with a casual act. "And I am afraid I have no answer to give to you. Ican only hope you can trust me. I'll even let you return your defences to me and oversee the entire procedure; there is no need for privacy because it does not involve memory manipulation of any sort, merely a check for any sort of unnatural presences."

Well, that was an invitation the servants were more than happy to take, the two blade wielding servants having their weapons in hand while magic buzzed around Alice's being. It was merely left to Takumi to make the final decision, his resolve faltering under the combined looks. There was no denying the opinion of the servants; there was no need to trust the man who was so close to the one who caused you damage in the first place, but there was also the fact that the man had been so eager to donate to the library beforehand. When the librarian looked to the man in front of him, there was not a monster seeking to destroy every last remnant of his mind. This was the man who had delighted in buying one rather strange contraption simply because Takumi has stated he wanted to do a little show. This was the man who had been singlehandedly responsible for keeping the library alive when the ones in charge didn't wish to even look at the place. While the servants may disapprove of his decision, there was really only one choice in Takumi's mind.

"Do it. They keep ready to attack you on the first sign of something dangerous, but scan my mind." Takumi declared, the summoned spirits giving no words of disapproval or otherwise as the red haired man's smile bloomed upon his lips, a hand carefully raised towards the librarian's head before a deep breath had a glow encompass the appendage. When he first imagined voluntary mind reading, he would've thought he would be aware of all that was going on, like he would be able to see hundreds of memories he had long forgotten flashing before his eyes as his history was rediscovered once more. The truth was actually far the opposite; Takumi somewhat struggled to recall what exactly had happened in the small period save for a sudden soothing sensation within the entirety of his head.

"Just as I thought. There was a remnant of the magic Rias used upon you, trying to continue its job without a controlling force behind it." Sirzechs muttered, leaning backwards with a grim expression. The fact that you had such an extreme reaction to the initial magic was really the only catalyst I needed to act; there have been similar maladies discovered before. Now, this allows me to return to the true reason why I approached you on this day."

That statement alone was enough to cause each and every heroic spirit in the room to instantly stiffen, the innate sense of magic filling the air almost stifling as both white haired little girls narrowed their eyes. While Charles-Henri was a little different in his reaction, the further pressing of the blade at Sirzech's neck was more than suitable to get his own opinion across. How the man was able to remain so calm was absolutely beyond Takumi – he was almost certain that the man lacked anything beyond joviality and light concern. It would take a second look however to change that opinion – there was not the prior joviality upon his face, but a dark concern that marred such a handsome visage. It did little to disturb his calm, but there was also a clear tension that wasn't born from the multitude of attacks aimed his way.

"...Speak." perhaps taking in that way made Takumi appear a little blunt, but he couldn't help it. A serious situation required a serious mind set, there was no time for flowery language when a man this naturally powerful was concerned. A further look into his origins made things all the more worse – the troubles of a devil were most likely to be just a tad bit graver than that of a 'simple' human like himself.

"I suppose it would be best to warn you first; it is a situation that involves my sister." Sirzechs stated, a hand raised before any further words could be added in haste. "That being said, it is also one that involves your friend, Issei Hyoudou. The boy met you when he first became a devil, isn't that correct?"

Ah, the art of blackmail, a special art that played to the human weakness of emotion. There was no doubt that a creature born for manipulation like a devil would be skilled in such an art. A quick glance to the Caster servant had the smallest of nods escaping her, eyes remaining narrowed as she watched the man's gait. Should there be the first signs of any form of mental manipulation, it was to be cancelled and any reservations removed with little mercy.

"What about Issei?"

"Well, he and Rias, along with the rest of her peerage, seem to have gotten themselves in above their heads. I fear if there is not someone who is willing to help them out, they will find themselves locked into a situation they will not enjoy." Sirzechs explained, the man surprisingly wringing his hands in worry. Takumi could understand the man's concern purely from the description alone; it was always a nerve wracking situation when there was family involved in situations that were heavily against them. The following explanation merely cemented that idea. "Her group has failed in their attempt to break Rias' engagement to a man named Riser Phenex. Should someone not intervene, then Rias will be left to a life of a trophy wife, left to rot until she is paraded in public serving as little more than breeding goods. As a member of her peerage, there is no doubt that Issei is to also face a most terrible fate. That is why I must ask you to assist in the destruction of this engagement."

"That doesn't explain why you haven't intervened though. Surely you would be in a better position to deal with it than me." If it was something that a human could deal with, why couldn't the man simply break up the engagement himself? It was clear not a mutual agreement and if such information was clear, there were few who would be unwilling to stop such a fate.

"That is why I must ask you; though I hold a position of power within the devils, I have to act in that position of power rather than as a family member to Rias, meaning I must act in the greater good of devils in general that just one." Sirzechs sighed. "There has been a dip in the number of pure blooded devils in recent times and it is through marriages between the remaining pure blooded devils that ensures we aren't outclassed by those who are reincarnated, as Issei was. The birth rates for devils are low, so these become all the more essential, it just doesn't make it easier for me to accept leaving Rias in such a horrendous situation."

The idea of his concern was understandable, even when considering there was more than a small chance that he was using the convenient fact that one of his friends would also be met by a cruel fate to his advantage. No family member wished to see one of their own met with a unwanted situation and be unable to do anything in order to change it, Takumi could at least understand that much. The only issue he had with the idea was the fact that he was in no position really to help without further information – for all he knew, there was simply nothing that an outsider would be able to do, a concern he was quick to bring up before a hearty chuckle escaped the redheaded man.

"Do you truly believe that with Rias speaking to me about you and your friends, she would be so callous as not to speak of your combat prowess?" the man teasingly replied, a tired sigh escaping Takumi. Of course she would do that, subtly was for the weak. "You see, though Riser has certainly 'proven' himself amongst the youth fighting scene, he has a specific advantage that few others will ever get to utilise which weakens him. The fact that his family is gifted with a great regenerative ability means that he rarely has to do much other than wait for his opponent to tire out and that mentality has resulted in a weak resolve; he need not work when all he has to do is tire them out with the peerage at his hands like disposable tools."

No. Oh no, he was expecting Takumi to fight someone who could regenerate!? The only form of regeneration he had common access to was the English Doctor who, it was an alien that could take any sort of damage and simply create a new body – They expected Takumi to defeat someone like that!? How the hell do you beat someone who couldn't be beaten? A small shiver ran down his spine as the redheaded man leant in close, his words deathly serious as his speech turned to gentle whispers.

"Think of the hell they would be put through. To be thrown in the way of attacks simply because their new king demanded them to do so, left forgotten until next needed. People like Issei and Kiba would be forced to lower themselves so that they never 'upstage' their new master, beaten down until they're willing to obey every command given to them. The girls would face a far worse fate, used for mere 'entertainment' or even traded about as favours once Riser sees no further desire himself."

A small glance had Takumi meeting the eyes of his other servants, their reactions mostly expected. Charles-Henri still showed no small amount of pessimism to his eyes, the man having condemned such men to the blade yet still not convinced of the man sincerity, while Jack simply looked with barely a shred of emotion to her body. After all, she was the mysterious murderer who had faced down many prostitutes and whores, there was nothing she hadn't seen many times described in that scenario. It was Alice who had the most interesting reaction, her puffed up cheeks slightly deflating in what was a clear attempt to remain cool and cautious before Takumi let out a cry of surprise, the white haired Caster simply attaching herself to his shoulders.

"You have to help! Issei's way too nice to have something like that happen to him!" the girl cried, Takumi's hand moving to caress her back. There had been times where the boy aimed to simply hang out and Alice had been more than happy to mess about with the younger brunette, so there was no doubt a lingering fear of that person going away in her mind; the other servants stood down as it was clear what the final decision would be,

"I guess I'll do what I can to help. Just tell me what I have to do and when I'm meant to fight this… Riser Phenex."Takumi declared, the name strange upon the tongue. He had no doubt that the fate Sirzechs described was a possibility, devils more than likely to have a much laxer view when it came to morals – he had first-hand experience with those sorts of things. "If it's for Issei, I suppose I have to. I can't just stand around while good people are faced with bad situations."

That drew a wry smile from Sirzechs, the man leaning back from his dangerous position. If he was at all affected by the librarian's subtle dig, then he did not show it, simply clapping his hands with the smallest of smiles before a flier found its way into Takumi's hands.

"Well then, the deal is set. Keep this magic circle upon your person and when the times comes to fight, it shall glow." The man explained, standing from his seat with a little stretch. "I'm certain that we can compensate you for your help here, I cannot thank you enough for making this choice."

"Just… keep donating to the library and we can call it even, okay?" Takumi tiredly quipped back, the redheaded man's laughter echoing as a crimson flash had the office empty of all but the servants and him. "I don't know what I've just signed us up to."

"But if there's one thing I think we can agree on, it's that it will definitely be exciting!"

The sudden voice drew their attention to the wrinkled grey haired man before them, Takumi's voice catching at the familiar sight. He wore the same red lined velvet coat as before, grey eyes twinkling with curiosity and pure mischief that defied his apparent age.

I mean, I'm not the sort of man who enjoys fighting, but sometimes there are exceptions." The man cheerfully declared, picking up random books strewn around the area before a second later had them placed in their original position or even where they were meant to go despite no visible indication of what order Takumi had them organised. This was a private area after all, the only person whom would have to know where the books go was Takumi and there was a part of the librarian that felt as if the old man had already memorised the majority of what was in the texts. "Except this isn't a usual conflict, is it? Devils – they come up with some surprising things, don't they?"

"Who are you? How did you get in here, this door was locked!" if it wasn't for Takumi's quick dismissal, there was no doubt that the man would already have been torn to pieces by the present servants, but if it at all disturbed the grey haired fellow, it wasn't present on his face. In fact, it was more of a gentle confusion, grey eyes moving from the door to his current position before a bright smile erupted between the wrinkles.

"Oh, was that door meant to keep people out?" the elderly man cheekily quipped out, a hand casually pointing to the door that was usually security code locked with a bar lock _as well_. "I thought you were inviting me in! You probably shouldn't make your password so obvious."

"…There is no password. It's an ID scan and I'm wearing my ID." Lifting the little badge upon his neck with as much of a scathing look as possible, Takumi thought he had managed to stun the old man silent, at least until he was waved off at the last second.

"That's not important! What is important, is that you and your little friends are going to try fighting against someone who can regenerate." The man declared, Takumi's eyes narrowing further. He had thought this office was well secured, that there had been little chance for any sort of intruder to listen in on the conversations placed within, let alone break in straight afterward without the people inside noticing. "Let me tell you, you want me when you're fighting someone who can regenerate. I'm pretty well versed with that sort of stuff."

"We never got your name last time, who actually are you?" Takumi interrupted as the man ran his fingers over the available books, Alice letting out a small gasp as the face returned from her memories. "You're clearly aware of the supernatural from your words and you were able to get in here without issue, just who are you?"

The elderly man paused, his eyes flashing to meet Takumi's. In that moment, it was almost as if they were alone, just the old man and him without any person living or 'dead' to surround them. They weren't in the library any longer; a turbulent snow storm raged in a white tundra Takumi was not aware of, the expanse almost alien to the librarian. Through it all, the man stood solitary, except it seemed as if they weren't alone. Though the grey haired man stood opposite to him, his hair flailing wildly in the great winds, it was as if there were more replacing him for but a second before he returned. Takumi wasn't certain who he was looking at, a wide variety of people flashing before his eyes whether they be clowns or the serious, crazy or calculated, maybe even all at once. It didn't even seem as if it was restricted to men, a female face also appearing within the mass.

"Who… that's a question I get a lot of the time." The man mused, a smile remaining upon his face as his posture tightened up, looking all the elderly character he was and more. "Who I am is where I stand and right now, I stand on your side. Should you really be asking who I am? Or should you instead ask 'just what would I be losing if he wasn't so willing to help me?'"

Then, in a flash, they were returned to the office, Takumi left smacking his cheek. Whether that just happened or not was questionable, the only thing that couldn't have been false was the response he had gotten, for the man still held his small smile as a hand was held out towards the librarian.

"Well? Care to learn how to beat the unbeatable, undefeatable?" the elderly man questioned, a moment passing before the wrinkled appendage was taken within Takumi's. "Wonderful. Well then, let' see what we can do. It's probably better if you follow me, all of you. You probably want to see this."

* * *

Takumi had been spending the majority of his day after that moment simply staring at the leaflet, Alice soon within his arms at the sight of her concerned master. There was no need to question where Jack was, for wherever the nursery rhyme loving girl was, the serial killer wasn't too far off. It was a rather interesting experience, hearing what the elderly man had wanted to say, a blackboard quickly sourced from who knows where before the strangest and yet constantly enticing lecture began. If the brunette was told that the man had been a teacher before, there was no reason for Takumi to doubt them, for if placed in any classroom, they were certain to at least be attentive.

"Don't worry father, we'll be okay!" Alice attempted to sooth, the girl cheerfully kicking her legs as she hummed a small tune beneath her breath. "We'll save Issei like cool heroes and then go home and eat noodles, right?"

A low chuckle escaped Takumi at that thought. While jack had found herself still considerably attracted to English foods as her origin would suggest, Alice had been enamoured with what could possibly be the worst food for a growing child – instant noodles. It was only the fact that the white haired Caster would also be just as satisfied with healthier alternatives that prevented Takumi from falling to despair: she was particularly dangerous when she didn't get her way.

"I suppose we can. Just make sure to ask the others first, right? If we're going to jump head first into a dangerous fight, might as well make sure that everyone wants to eat noodles as well." Takumi tenderly added, his thumb drawing a slow circle upon the girl's hand. The little action and talk was serving to calm his nerves, but it would usually take more than simple action to calm a storm. He wouldn't be able to calm down further however, the crimson light attracting the attention of Charles-Henri as well as Jack revealed herself from the shadows of the office. Crowding close, Takumi spared one more glance to the paper, the distinct lack of knowledge on how to actually activate it painfully clear at the moment.

"Well, if you're going to do something, I guess you can do it now." The brunette muttered, though it took all he had to prevent himself from crying out in surprise when the same crimson light engulfed all of the group, weapons drawn and stances tightened by the time they landed. Perhaps asking what would've happened once the flier activated was a reasonable choice, but hindsight was a bitch when the library completely morphed into an entirely new atmosphere. There was certainly more people in this new area, more than scandalised by the fact that there was a group holding weapons of all things that weren't guards. There was a moment of dead thought, where Takumi could only admire the surprising style of those present, before a shocked sound echoed through the hall.

Rias was remarkably beautiful in the flowing gown of white, her red hair making for a wonderful contrast as it flowed down her back. Had it been any other situation, maybe Takumi could've been somewhat impressed, if he wasn't aware of the context behind the dress. There was only one thing he could do in this situation, Takumi swallowing any last remnant of pride he might have been able to keep if he didn't make this decision. A tightened stance and faux confidence had Alice looking to him in confusion, his words bringing a smile to her face, though the reason why was still a little 50/50 for Takumi.

"I hope you don't mind me popping in, but I must ask this to stop immediately."

Now that attracted the attention of a certain man stood beside Rias, the blond stepping forward with more than a fierce look to his eyes. Though he too was clothed in a suit, it was of a far more causal standard than the strict style Rias had been placed in, stepping forward with an odd sense to his step as if he was trying to prove himself at a party that was more than clearly aimed at him and Rias. If this was Riser Phenex as he was told to fight… this could be interesting or incredibly horrible.

"What on earth do you think you're doing here!? This is a place for high class devils, I don't think I've ever seen your face before!" the man assumed to be Riser declared, spittle close to flying out of his mouth in his outrage. "There's absolutely no way you could've gotten an invitation, guards – take this rabble out immediately!"

"I wouldn't be so hasty Riser. After all, it would be in bad taste to get rid of the entertainment before it even has a chance to show off." Came Sirzechs from the side, Riser's eyes turning incredulously to the redheaded man before a small tug at his collar had him regain his previous confidence. "That rating game you had with Rias was incredibly one sided, an expected outcome when you pit an experienced peerage against one that literally hadn't been in a rating game before your little match."

"The terms were set and I won fairly." Riser objected, turning away from Sirzechs with more than a little huff to his actions. "We agreed that should I come out victorious in the rating game, Rias' hand would be mine immediately, just as we also agreed that should Rias be successful, it would be called off. A Satan you may be, but you can't fault me for simply following the terms that we both agreed upon, I even gave her time specifically to train!"

Takumi's eyes immediately turned to where Rias stood, though there were to be no words that escaped her. The crimson princess of destruction merely looked to the conflict her eyes dark except for what the librarian was hoping remained as the smallest sliver of hope. There was no point to trying if the one being saved had no desire or belief it could be done after all.

"That is true, but it doesn't exactly mean you gave her a fair fight. I'm quite certain this boy and his friends will prove more than adequate in providing a far more entertaining match." Sirzechs countered, his smile remaining as Riser turned back to the newly transported group. There was no doubt that the innocent smile appearing upon Alice's face was more than enough to infuriate the man, his hand pointing straight at them with as much contempt as possible.

"You really believe these lower class devils could actually prove a threat to me? I don't mean to appear rude, but that's unbelievable." Riser dismissed with a scoff, the small sense of distain growing further within Takumi. Though it had yet to reach the levels he had been made to expect, there was no doubt that there certainly was the first traces in his speech. He didn't let it show however; it would merely make for much better showing later when he was proved just how wrong he was.

"Perhaps a lower class devil might not prove too much of a challenge, but I think you misunderstand. This lovely man is no devil, but a human." Now that statement from Sirzechs had the crowds muttering, what had once been indignation turning to bountiful laughter as Riser struggled to hold himself together.

"So you mean to say that these are _humans_!? You mean to place humans against me?" Riser tried to ask amidst his tears. "Well then, how can I ignore a request like that? I'll immolate them where they stand if they truly wish for death so greatly."

Takumi was about to say his own comeback when the gentle tug upon his sleeve was first notices, Takumi looking to where Jack pointed. The gathering of girls were more than cocky, several of them whispering their poisoned words to one another before a laugh overtook the whole group, the sight of their numbers bringing forth a flash in the librarian's mind that had him stepping forward.

"While I am more than happy to take you on with my friends… I remember being told of something known as peerages. Would it not make sense for you to fight alongside them as well?" the brunette questioned, Riser looking at him dumbfounded before his laughter grew even more raucous, Sirzechs' look changing to slight confusion. "If we're going to fight, then I don't want you to hold back on me because of my ancestry."

There were many who clearly did not like that statement, the murmurs from before growing in their intensity. Riser himself looked more than outraged by the idea that a human would ever see just him as not enough, or at that's what Takumi believed. He would be proven correct mere seconds later as a hand gesture would have the girls talking before by his side, the look potentially a quite intimidating sight if he had been there alone. The difference was however, that Takumi had Charles-Henri, Alice and jack at his side, the assassin of the trio more than twitchy as she beheld the assembled group before her. That alone would be more than enough for Takumi to feel reassured in his victory, but thanks to the old man, he had also managed to concoct a most wonderful tactic that would certainly provide a good amount of 'entertainment.' Oh, how the librarian shivered at the thought – When the minds of his servants came together, things became somewhat traumatising.

"Look at us, do you really believe that you, a mere human, could face us?" Riser questioned with folded arms, the girls surrounding him easily matching the confidence he had. "Even the weakest of my peerage could easily beat all of you with barely a sweat. Mira, show them their folly."

The blue haired girl that stepped forward certainly shared the air of her king when the staff within her hands was aimed towards him, mere moments from meeting his face when the shreds of wood were deftly moved away from his person, Jack giving a small growl as her blades settled after their sudden strike. Mira could only look the much shortened remains of her weapon in shock, eyes darting between the shaft and the assassin as her face showed little more than confusion. That confusion prevented the girl from being able to dodge the sudden leg that rocketed into her stomach, the blow knocking her back into the rest of the girls without a single word spoken. Riser could only look at the attack in distain, a small cough escaping his throat as he tried to regain the prior air he held.

"Interesting… Well, maybe you'll give us a second of entertainment before we see your charred corpses before us." The blond remarked with a smirk, uncaring for the other girls as they scrambled to help Mira up from her collapsed position. "After all, you shouldn't expect the rest of us to be as weak as her."

That was probably the first moment that Takumi truly felt justified with what he was going to do. To see the man completely ignore the girl he sent in to fight, even after she had been (at least to him) rather brutally kicked, that was not the attitude that someone was meant to have towards people under their care, he was meant to have the responsibilities of a 'king', yet he was barely batting an eye towards the way that Mira had ended up. All of the stories he knew, they spoke of benevolent kings and even tyrants who at least tried to keep their people happy; it's how you kept power. When people were given their titles without any chance of losing it like Takumi was assuming, it gave them no reason to be nice to the people under their name and that was unacceptable. This sort of attitude couldn't be accepted.

 _Are the plunderers rotten or the things that they take?_

' _Impeach, impeach!' Leave hell in your wake!_

 _They left you with nothing, filled you with hate,_

 _Do not let yourself be stuck with this fate!_

 _Let yourself sing, fill yourself with pride._

 _If this body rots, do not pause in your stride_

 _For maybe, just maybe at the end of this fight,_

 _We'll be able to hope, see a future of light._

* * *

 **And that seems like a nice place to end! When I made the last rhyme, I was trying to get the idea of overthrowing a corrupt system and the first idea was to use the idea of a revolution drawn from a song I was using for Charles-Henri's** **Russian** **. That came out fine in my opinion, but the issue was trying to come up with a name. I finally settled for the one I chose after numerous tries, but my original name seemed a little bit** **crude** **when speaking about a great political upheaval.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - original**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **By the way, Charles-Henri's Russian is 'That is surely a sorrowful song...' (Вероятно, это грустная песня…) and 'don't lose your nerve!' (** **Не робеть!)**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	10. Chapter 10 - the fight

**Hey there people, how was your christmas? I'm sorry for not getting this out earlier, but life really just doesn't want me to get these out at all. We've got the Riser fight here for you to enjoy with something I hope you didn't expect as well as something you probably expected for a while now. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: There's a whole world to explore out there huh? I wish I had a pirate ship to travel in._

 _Naruto: It's not just a pirate ship! It's also a space ship, ready to zoom out into the cosmos!_

 _Takumi: That seems like a really weird combo... how do you keep the air in?_

 _Naruto: It's a really secure pirate ship!_

 _T + N: The story begins! Showtime!_

* * *

One lovely thing to note from the few giant windows that allowed a view of the outside sky was that the inky black filled the horizon, a small note that Jack was more than happy to take into account as she stepped forward. When the little white haired girl had first heard the plan that had been formulated in order to do this, she had been rather blasé at first; if she was not to do anything of importance, then she cared not for the finer details. As soon as she heard about the environment she would be fighting in however, now that got her blood boiling! A chance to truly unleash her abilities in a fight, with all of the odds stacked in her favour? There was no way she was going to turn something like that down!

The peerage of Riser were only a slight bit wary when the poorly dressed girl stepped forward. How could a man let a young girl be seen like that? (Well, that was also Takumi's mind-set, but despite the fact that she was willing to wear her baggy stuff casually, Jack just refused to do the same when knowingly going into battle.) Another of the blue haired girls stepped forward, a patronising smile appearing upon her lips as she lazily picked up some sort of martial arts form.

"So, you're just going to send out this kid against us are you?" the girl taunted, barely moving from her place as the little assassin stepped slowly forward, her eyes unreadable beneath the messy mop of white. "Either you're idiots or cowards, if this is all you're willing to do, ge-!?"

"Shut up."

The response was small, yet the strike that came forth hit with power unmeasurable. Xuelan, as a rook, was supposedly meant to be more than capable of taking powerful strikes and be able to return them double fold, yet this little girl, one who was apparently human, was able to take the wind out of her without mercy. There was simply no way she was human, no simple human would be able to do that to the weakest of devils without a great advantage such as the exorcists' light weaponry, just how-!?

But before any of Riser's peerage could even think of contemplating further questions, the thickest fog they ever could've imagined swallowed them whole, not a single one of them able to see more than a meter before them. As fast as possible, a protective circle was formed by the girls around their King, Riser merely looking around the area with a dismissive aura even as a cough escaped him.

"So, you're next move is to hide? I've got to admit, it's that attitude that befits those of your status!" Riser taunted, a hand wreathed in flames already rising to his face as a haughty laugh passed through him. "However, do not think I need to see your pitiful faces in order to burn you thoroughly alive!"

He wasn't an idiot - he was obviously aware of the multiple particularly important people that had come in attendance to his and Rias' engagement celebration, but there was no doubt that Sirzechs would've produced some form of barrier to keep the entire thing contained. It was the only reason why he was so happy to swing his left arm outward, the fire arcing around him to form a practical wall as it extended outward. If his opponents were even anywhere near him, they would be met with a relentless wall of pure immolation and most likely, the source of the fog too would be but cinders amongst the ground, which was why when the fog refused to abate, his smirk gave way just the slightest amount. A second blast did little to change that result, despite the fact that standing anywhere in the typical range for a protection barrier should've resulted in little to zero space to move – had the humans somehow managed to find a way to protect themselves from Phenex fire? Impossible!

A sudden scream drew the group's attention to the sudden gap in their ranks, Karlamine nowhere to be found despite the fact that the boisterous night had been no further away than the rest of them. her second scream was almost entirely surrounding them, a fierce sound indescribable ringing out from the mist they were unable to see through. A small barked order had Mihae and Ravel firing wildly in to the mist, any chance to hit their opponents taken, yet all they got in return was Karlamine's cries of pain no doubt inflicted by the supposed humans they were facing. Able to evade or even take their fire, conjuring up mist that swallowed an area whole in no time at all? Even many magicians might be hard pressed in order to achieve something on this scale! Riser's hands began bunching into fists, fully ignited as he twisted his face to and fro. He would not let some mere human make a mockery of him and his peerage!

* * *

The hatred of children who were denied everything, surely it is a most powerful thing. Hatred in itself is a highly malicious emotion, capable of driving man to do numerous things they would never usually consider. Murder, rape, absolute annihilation, all can be considered under the effect of the emotion. When you add in children, this only becomes much worse, for they hold much simpler mind-sets. The emotions a child may feel are much stronger than an adult due to the simple lack of inhibition they hold, especially the youngest who barely know more than basic living instincts; their hatred, an unimaginable concept as it is, would then undoubtedly be incredibly strong. If you were to even attempt to ponder what it would be like times over eight thousand, then you would have the sheer concentrated hatred held within Assassin, Jack the ripper, as she brandished her usually D-rank knives.

It was a remarkably magical process for such a gory end image. If it weren't for the small reassurances that Sirzechs would have a constant eye upon the state of each participant, ready to draw them out at the first signs of their lives being properly at risk, then Takumi wouldn't have even dreamed of letting Jack do her stuff when he was first informed of what the little assassin was capable of. Truly, the devils were masters at the healing arts if they would be able to put the girl back together after this brutal operation of sorts. Karlamine, struggling against the sudden vines that bound her mouth shut and held her limbs tight could only let out a scream at the sight of several knives filling her vision. No matter what sorts she had faced during her master's rating games, these simple knives held more than just steel in their build; pure malice had been imprinted into their very creation, the hatred and contempt of the children abandoned by the eight thousand prostitutes of England pouring into every corner of the weapons as they suddenly plunged forward.

Perhaps she could've remained relatively brave when she was removed. After all, to attack someone with knives, even multiple ones were typical affair and as the ones wielding them were humans, their effect could be explained off as a simple sacred gear. However, any signs of bravery and honour were soon lost as her screams tore through her throat – as well as multiple pieces of steel. Jack's ability was one most wondrous, every cavity and centimetre of space filled with knives that instantly vivisected her very organs, shredding her heart, liver, lungs, bladder and any other that could be thought of. Bones shattered as the knives tried to force their way out, Takumi turned away before he was privy to the sight of her chest ripping open, the mess of blood, flesh and bone exploding out at the same time her limbs practically fled the brunette knight piece's body far too gruesome for his stomach to handle. As the broken corpse of a girl disappeared in a burst of white light, there was no doubt that Sirzechs would have numerous questions waiting for him; he would too if he had been made witness to such a thing.

"One dead. I shall take the next one."

"Oh my… though rather messy in her methods, she truly does hold great promise to the act of execution." The Saber servant commented, a slow clap coming from the man as he dusted off his coat. "That still leaves us with fifteen pieces sill in play however, and we may not even be certain that the old man will be able to play his part."

"Oh don't worry about it!" Alice interjected, the brightest smile one could imagine upon her face. "I managed to speak with Jack, she can do a really cool thing with her noble phantasm! With this fog, she has fourteen more bad people she can demonstrate her ultra-cool power on!"

"Alice, why are you so excited by the idea of Jack killing fourteen people?" Takumi sighed out, rubbing his face with his hands. He was definitely becoming desensitised to his situation, but that didn't mean he wasn't exasperated trying to reach that point. All he wanted was a daughter to help raise and enjoy watching them grow up, now he had one girl who was the most literal definition of a magical girl you could reach based upon nursery rhymes, one who was quite honestly the most famous murderer in England with the skill to prove it and a French executioner who had apparently been summoned in Russia and trekked his way to japan. "But, it doesn't look like they've managed to figure out where we are. As long as we keep this sort of distance and you can keep the shields working, then we should get out of this without a single scratch. That should get that Riser guy really angry."

If they could anger the King of the group, then he would be more likely to make rash and ultimately bad decisions. If the group were receiving bad decisions from the king they clearly were infatuated with, then the entirety of the opposition would badly, making them easier fodder for Jack to pluck one by one. When it was just Riser, then they would be able to implement the plan that the old man had suggested, if it was going to work just the way he wanted. Seemed easy enough, especially considering their reactions so far, but it would be the way they reacted to one of their own being removed that would ultimately show the heroic spirits and librarian whether the plan would work.

* * *

Within the fog, a growl escaped Riser as he moved about hopelessly in the thick mess his peerage doing their best to keep him safe at all costs. From the heavier breathing, to the slightly more sluggish movements, it was clear that the fog was starting to take its first toll on the girls, too weak to instantly render them unconscious or kill them as it would a normal human, but the effect couldn't just be ignored. It was why the usually quite aware Isabela was the next to go, though not to be taken away into the mist as her fellow peerage member was. No, there was a special property of the attack used upon her, the power taking form as a curse and thus, meaning as long as her opponent remained in the mist and it still was night (rather unfortunate in a place such as the underworld that knew no day) Assassin could strike from wherever she pleased. Of course, it wasn't exactly so easy to change your gender from female in such a short amount of time as well, which meant that the sudden gory explosion was easily able to occur right in the centre of the Phenex defences.

It was commonly seen as polite etiquette within the rating games to simply use attacks that, while incredibly dangerous and highly effective, produced as little gore as possible. No matter the culture you found yourself in, there was only a select few who would actually be gratified by such a sight; making a massacre in what was a sport of sorts was not to be encouraged. While there was the same viewers and a similar style of protective barrier that would allow for quick removal and healing of the defeated pieces that rating games would usually employ, that didn't mean that it _was_ a rating game and the opponent they were placed against was most certainly not a person who was keen to follow the rules of etiquette!

The pawns let out a cry as one of their own burst in a shower of red before them, knives viciously tearing through all that would halt them in their path. The maid dressed pawn Marion was hardly recognisable from her butchered features, the shreds of her clothes falling as lifelessly as she did before the magicks of the field erected pulled her out for urgent treatment. Riser only gave a passing acknowledgement to how the two chainsaw wielding girls, Ile and Nel, began to vomit into the mist, the scent of blood blocking the foul smell that should've arose from such an act. So they weren't just able to take his pieces away, but also pick them off from where they were standing. If only it wasn't for this contemptable-!

"Yubelluna, create the largest explosion you can possibly form and detonate it right here." The purple haired queen turned a questioning eye to her king, the stern frown upon his face surprisingly strong for such a typically arrogant man. "Use up all your power if it is necessary, I refuse to be left within this foul fog!"

"But while that would remove the fog, there is a high chance it could-" but the queen piece's objections were blocked by a single hand, blue eyes staring her down with all of the strength the king commanded; it was clear to Yubelluna just what exactly he was planning and it seemed to have clicked with the drill haired bishop as well, for her hands immediately wrapped around Riser's arm in alarm.

"But if you do that, there's an incredibly large chance you could do nothing and simply blow up your entire peerage!" the girl cried, though her grasp was easily shaken off by the larger and stronger Riser. The only reason he wasn't any harsher was because she was blood. "Riser…"

"We already know that it isn't likely to be ignited with the attacks we've already sent out, so our only option is to dissipate the fog. It isn't as if we're committing suicide here, Ravel." Riser reasoned, Ravel turning to where the queen piece lowered her head. It was clear she was going to go through with the order despite the fact it would lead to her and the rest of the peerage's early retirement – the only survivors would be Riser and Ravel due to their Phenex regeneration. It wasn't exactly behaviour the bishop piece wasn't used to – it was a common tactic for her brother to deploy – sacrifice his pieces before suing his own regeneration to outlast his enemy, but usually it wasn't at the hands of one of their own.

The sudden explosion caught Takumi off guard, the giant blast of fog coming their way fortunately blocked by the abilities of Jack, but it still meant that Riser had somehow managed to force the fog away. Thanks to the latent magic within it, it did little to actually dissipate the mist, but perhaps on a whim, Assassin let her noble phantasm give way to reveal the two blond siblings stood not too far from where they were originally, the younger girl simply looking mystified while her brother held a face of pure rage. The librarian gave a small cough as he stepped forward towards the man, aware of the small line of magic that connected him to Alice even if he couldn't actually physically see it.

"Now that you don't have your measly fog to hide behind, you aren't really all that tough after all, are you?" the king piece remarked with a smug laugh, his sister not following his actions. She was aware of the strange way the librarian held his hands behind his back, not the sort of military pose she had seen many humans take in order to feel more confident about themselves, but… "Do you think your little tricks can beat us when we can see you?"

"Well, maybe they're a little different now that we don't have the fog, but I don't think they can't beat you." Takumi remarked, far more nervous than his blank delivery would convey. He was fully aware that now he was under the spotlight; the fog also did a wonderful job of blocking magicks from seeing in, meaning that even with special spells the crowd was unable to actually peer through until this point. Now it was as if he was back in first school on his plays, except the fancy floor in front of him was fully real and the angered man actually could shoot fire. "I mean, I wasn't expecting there to be two people with the power of regeneration, but I'd like to think I can deal with that sort of thing."

That drew out a derisive laugh from Riser and a small glimpse to where the many onlookers sat squashed to the further end of the hall showed how the whispers began spreading around. What, did they think they were brought on with Sirzechs' blessing and didn't expect them to have a trick to deal with regeneration?

"Well then, give it your best shot! I'll even stand here and wait for you to fire whatever measly power you have prepared!" Riser declared, giving a faux bow as he let his stance grow even weaker. A look behind him had Charles-Henri step forward, the Saber drawing his sword before he slashed forward. Nothing too complex, Riser still smiling even as flesh met steel and he was forced to grit his teeth in order to keep the same contemptuous look, but if the man was a little more cautious, perhaps he would've noticed how the trench coat wearing man was not putting his all into his strikes or how Takumi kept glancing to his hands behind him. Ravel did after all, Takumi capturing the blonde's eyes with a small awkward smile. Just a few more seconds…

"Hey, if you think you can use whatever you're holding, don't be so foolish!" the sudden cry from the girl had Takumi rapidly jumping away, second blast quickly being shielded by Alice's protections. At the sight of that, the bishop piece faltered in her movements, but she was quick to return to her chase, at least until she heard the sudden beep that escaped the item in the brunette's grasp. A slow movement had the item revealed, Ravel looking at the strange disc with a green glow in the centre with intrigue while Riser found himself too preoccupied by the Saber servant's movements. It certainly didn't seem like any other magician's implement she had heard of before and many preferred to use runes for that sort of thing anyway; they held the spells more permanently, yet this was perfectly smooth. A smile grew upon Takumi's face as he looked to where Riser stood and did one thing he never would've imagined – he pushed the blonde girl with all of his might, Ravel letting out a yelp as she crashed into her brother.

Unknown to the majority of the people gathered there save for Takumi and his group, he had not been stalling for time because he or any other on the battlefield were preparing some sort of big opulent attack. Instead, it was merely a warning – one for their enemies more than themselves as both Phenexes soon found themselves tied up by vines.

"What on earth are-? I can't burn through them!" Ravel cried out, licks of flames escaping her but to no avail. Takumi was simply left tapping his feet as Charles-Henri stepped back, his job done while Jack… kind of came out of the shadows. The librarian wasn't exactly too sure where she had been hiding thus far since she had separated from the group actually, her legacy truly did shine through. "What is this!?"

" _ **Well if you think this is the bad part, I can't wait to see your faces after this!"**_ A voice excitedly declared, Takumi looking up at the strange warping sound before anyone else to see the giant laser that suddenly launched down upon Ravel and Riser, the two looking to the red light that now bathed their bodies. It wasn't as if there was an actual effect yet, something that very much confused them as Takumi kept his gaze upwards to where the laser originated… a square of blue. _**"Look, let me make this clear: if you think your regeneration will save you from whatever I'm going to throw at you, then don't. You won't look like an idiot when I inevitably prove you wrong – it's for your sakes."**_

* * *

The grey haired man was absolutely giddy as he rapidly manoeuvred himself around the incredibly complex console, an orange glow from the centre column bathing him in warmth as several dials were turned, switches flicked and buttons pressed. This was what he lived for; ever since he had first arrived, he had kept on the down low until he got more information on his surroundings, but a forced wedding between human like devil creatures that he could have a go at undoing? That was an opportunity he couldn't miss!

The regeneration of these devils was different from his own, less reformation, more recuperation. When they reform, they reform in the exact same way they were before – no different faces, longer noses, different teeth, dangerous chins. It certainly made thing a lot easier when it came to pushing them back home with a slapped wrist. After all, they would be getting the same son or daughter – not a different gender and personality.

"Well, maybe not the same personality. When you're dealing with someone who commands the people beneath them to blow themselves up, a little change never hurts anyone. Except them, maybe." The man mused, pulling his jacket tighter around himself as a hand reached out to the screen protruding over the console. He always did love to communicate through microphones, made him sound all big and authoritive. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here. Answer: I'm awesome, don't question it. Second, you probably want to know what's in the kid's hand. Tell them."

Takumi let out a small sound of surprise at the sudden declaration, but held out the disc once more, the other hand scratching the back of his head. There had been quite an in depth description of what was in the small machine before him, but how on earth was he meant to remember that?

" _Um, it's a tracker. As long as it remains on, it can find any coordinates no matter where or when I am."_ The librarian recalled before the wrinkled man took over control once more.

"And now that I'm here, _you_ are under _my_ laser pointer! Think about it! You're going to be beaten down by me trying to _aim!_ " the man laughed out, watching the futile efforts to escape. There was no doubt that Alice would be focusing her power on making sure that the vines remained fire retardant- they were just helping the plan along. "You see, right now, it does nothing but make a pretty light. But if I were to turn up the intensity like this…!"

Ravel let out a small yeep at the pain that suddenly prickled the entirety of her body, looking to where her hand had suddenly began to… flake? It wasn't the only place however, various areas of exposed skin too began to fall away to barely dust, Riser not at all excluded from the strange phenomenon. It wasn't a large amount at all and their regenerative abilities were more than capable of handling the slightest loss of skin, but it did raise the question – what on earth was that light?

* * *

"… _ **Then, you get a lovely little laser with a high enough energy output to superheat the surfaces it lands on! And if we keep turning it up, then it's not just your skin that's going to get fried like chicken. Now, give up and go home."**_ The man concluded, his booming voice coming from the strange box the laser came from growing in intensity. Despite the prickling sensation, Riser could do little more than continue to flare out his flames in a desperate attempt to overcome the defences put up in his way. If they thought this was going to be enough to stop him, then they were in for another result!

"This is no holy light – I can outlast whatever attacks you try to pull on us! How long do you believe you can keep this up?" the king piece questioned, letting his smirk return to his face. "Besides, even if you do win, can you really claim victory? You, who simply stood back and let those around you do your dirty work?"

…Ah. Yes, that made sense. A small chuckle started to escape Takumi, one that the librarian wouldn't have thought he would've been able to give when he was being watched by so many people, yet he just couldn't stop himself. The idea was so ridiculous! Struggling to answer, he held up his hands in peace at Riser's dark glare, a cough having him back to normal somewhat.

"Look, I don't care about taking personal claim about the victory. If I recall rightly, these… rating games, they earn devils honour and fame like any other sport, but I'm not here to play sport; none of us are." Takumi pointed out, rubbing the back of his head. "To be honest, I just want to go home. I want to be at the library sorting out books, I want to be cooking something that my friends and family might like. I want to be doing stuff that I consider normal yet here I am, fighting in what's apparently meant to be a party so I can break up an engagement. I don't want fame, fortune, or whatever else you expect to get when you play a normal rating game, I want to free a girl from a bad marriage to a man who would sacrifice his own teammates by blowing them up and go home. So no – I can't really claim this as a personal victory nor do I actually want to."

" _ **And I think you'll find we can keep this up! After all, you wouldn't even be able to comprehend the power held in this little blue box; don't think you could try to outlast it. Shall I show you?"**_ the old man added at the end, a charging noise being the only warning before the laser of crimson beaming down upon the two siblings suddenly intensified beyond comprehension, both giving out a cry of pain as all spectators were forced to avert their eyes. Part of the majesty of lasers was that, rather than any particular physical substance, they were purely formed from photons and thus were very hard to divert from their original path, meaning that through the excruciating pain of having their very being slowly vaporised, they were unable to defend themselves or stop the beam from falling onto themselves. Oh, of course their regeneration was put to play, but it was clear to the both of them that they wouldn't be able to keep the reaction going; the laser upon them seemed to have no signs of stopping. It was only after a few minutes when the elderly man pulled back a lever, the downpour of red light ending to reveal to the two siblings covered by slowly healing scorch marks, their power all but drained as Ravel fell to the ground, Riser trying valiantly to hold his ground _**"And that's only reaching about ten percent! Give up. Now."**_

"Urgh… damn it!" but any objections Riser could've had were blocked by a secondary burst from the laser, the blond finally falling to the ground with his final withdrawal a little too quiet for Takumi to properly hear. It was more than enough for Sirzechs though, a hand wave bringing down his barrier and having people immediately on hand to assist the two Phenexes. The crowd were stunned speechless, the thought of mere humans managing to beat two children of the esteemed Phenex family being unthought-of until this moment. If anyone was going to push forward any complaints about the occurrences before them, they would be blocked by the sudden whirring noise that filled the air, the strange square above finally revealing it's full form as a giant box of sorts materialising around Takumi's group before fading away as if never there in the first place.

* * *

Takumi couldn't help but look around the suddenly much darker room in alarm, several complex machines lining a centre platform where one of the most complex control systems he had ever seen, connected to a strange pillar filled with orange. The elderly man circled the area, clearly more than familiar with the magnificent mess of buttons and switches, even once dipping his hands into some sort of hole for a brief moment of time. Whatever that was meant to do, the librarian had no clue. As soon the whirring began once more in earnest with a final pull of a lever, the old man let himself look upon the group with a sly smile, holding his arms out.

"Well I told you it would work, didn't I?" the man quipped, Takumi just bluntly nodding as he leant against one of the railings. There was… it was almost as if there wasn't actually a floor beneath them. Oh wow, how big was this place? "All I had to do was steal a weapon from someone. Not a big fan of weapons like these to be honest, but sometimes you can't be nice to be kind."

"What… is this place? Is this where you controlled the laser from?" Takumi wondered aloud, running a hand across the steel railing. The walls were lined with strange lights of rotating blue and up above he could see the circles spinning upon the ceiling; it was a masterpiece he had never managed to see elsewhere. "I didn't realise you could fire such a large laser from that weird box thing."

Takumi turned after a pause of silence to see the old man looking to him almost dumbfounded, as if he had just been insulted beyond comprehension. What on earth did he say wrong?

"'That weird box thing?' I don't think I've heard anyone ever put it so insultingly, thank you for being unique." The elderly man sighed, thin fingers moving to rub his face. "This is an incredibly advanced machine capable of traversing space and time itself freely. It can break walls thought impossible by humanity, holds dimensions far larger than the outside would suggest and is powered by a dying star stuck within a constant time loop. Over two thousand years of space and time and no one, _no one_ has ever called it 'that weird box thing!'"

It would still take a minute for it to sink in properly for the brunette, looking near gormlessly at the elderly man before slamming his hand into his face. This could absolutely not be happening.

"Wait, so this is the box you fired the laser from!? You weren't remotely controlling it or something!?" Takumi cried, this time the look from the old man being more of annoyance than anything else.

"This laser was an incredibly difficult to find rapid fire pulse generator that has the capacity to cause temperatures of over three point six million degrees Fahrenheit and probe what is found inside; This is a laser that literally turned parts of their bodies into pure plasma and took incredibly detailed recordings of what could be found inside their very DNA, so I'm sorry if I couldn't use a remote to fire it from!" the man cried, a great sigh having him return to a composed position. Alice at this point wad far too bored with the conversation to care about what the adults were talking about; this guy had loads of books upon his second floor, a small jump up the stairs giving her free reign over the literature. "But that isn't why I brought you here. No, there's actually something very important I need to speak with you about. Something I think you're going to find very interesting, for both of us."

"Something interesting?" Takumi parroted. The elderly man certainly had proven to be quite interesting up until this point, and very helpful – just what could he be about to introduce? The statement was more than enough to have Charles-Henri on guard under normal circumstance, but after what the man had managed to do for the so far, it would only be polite to hear him out now. Besides, he had shown no physical capability yet beyond his apparent skill with technology so if he was going to be a threat, there was the small period of time where he would need to draw a weapon in which to end him. the only thing the old man was pointing was his finger as he gently approached Takumi, a glow to his eye that you wouldn't be able to attribute to the man who had only just recently threatened to absolutely obliterate a person by evaporating them with a high intensity laser.

"Oh I think you already know, don't you? You've known for a while now." The elderly man mused, pointing to the grey hair before tugging at the crimson jacket. "After all, how can you forget a face like this? One person with this sort of stellar fashion sense exists and they're coming to the front of your mind. But that's not what I want to introduce myself as."

His arms were flung out as he began to circle the centre console, a content look upon his face as he took in all of the familiar surroundings with weary eyes. He hadn't had a group of people n here for a while now, not as many as there were in this case at least. There were certainly a lot more adventures to be had with these people, the sense was practically screaming from them.

"Admittedly, it's stretching the container a little, but thanks to this place, I suppose it does fit. As I said before, I am most definitely a man you want on your side; it's always good to have a nice bit of brain after all and someone who can regenerate is always nice to not be fighting. It's a pleasure to meet you Takumi Yuu. You may call me… Rider." The man introduced with a deep bow before a clap had him returning to the controls, several buttons pressed in rapid order before the lever was pulled. "Now, I'm sure you want to be getting and we can start talking about something I found out about, something very alarming in fact. You might also want to go somewhere with chairs, especially those nice spinning ones; always good for people who have just made shocking discoveries."

Takumi could only rub his face as the man did before. This was not what he had expected to discover tonight.

 _I cross the void beyond the mind_

 _The empty space that circles time._

 _I see where others stumble blind_

 _To seek a truth they never find._

 _Eternal wisdom is my guide._

 _Through cosmic waste the vehicle flies_

 _To taste the secret source of life._

 _A presence science can't deny_

 _Exists within, outside, behind_

 _The latitude of the human minds._

 _I am the Doctor._

 _ **Introducing Rider**_

 _ **as**_

 _ **The Doctor**_

* * *

 **I'm sorry, I had to make that last joke. So, what do you think? There's definitely going to be a confrontation soon, so please look forward to that. It's just kind of getting there, but I'll persevere; all I can ask is that you please understand and wait patiently for when the next chapter does come and please, tell me what you thought of this one.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - original**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	11. Chapter 11 - the assault

**Hey there people! I was aiming to put a bit more emphasis upon the enemies of this and hopefully it seemed relatively** **alright** **\- hopefully like the Doctor, one of these people may surprise you. Speaking of that, I don't think you should be expecting any time travel or aliens or anything like that from him; he;s a character extracted from a** **fictional** **world and placed into reality, meaning he has knowledge of them, but they aren't actually there and the TARDIS is limited to a noble phantasm for anything beyond basic travel and takes a lot of mana to activate the time travel. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: This is a game that rewards failure with death! Why isn't the genius gamer dealing with this!?_

 _Ex-aid: Well, I guess you could say we already have a Doctor around here!_

 _Takumi: You're up against the strongest fist; what's the next stage Egi?_

 _Ex-aid: Poisoning tea... thank goodness you haven't got a british heroic spirit at your side... does the Doctor count?_

 _T + E-a: The story begins! Game start!_

* * *

Once the whirring stopped and the old man, the Doctor summoned as Rider, gestured towards the door, Takumi wasn't too surprised that he found himself outside of his own door rather than in the opulent hall that he had fought against Riser in; the vehicle that allowed the Doctor to be held in the Rider class container was capable of far more than what he had shown so far. Planting himself firmly upon his sofa, he was quickly joined by Alice and Jack on both sides as the Doctor took one of the other chairs, Charles-Henri remaining protectively over them.

"I don't know if you're aware of the actions that have been taken already, but there is a group ready to act against you." The grey haired man warned, staring deeply into the librarian's eyes. "I will not dance around my words, I cannot – if you aren't preparing then you're preparing to die."

There was a difference to his bluntness than the kinds his previous servants had shown. With Jack, it was because she had no need to be any more discrete. With Alice, it was because she acted so childlike that many wouldn't fault her for being so direct. With Charles-Henri, he chose to be direct because he was both a medical doctor and an executioner, two jobs that required heavy topics to be spoken off. With the Rider servant however, it was clear that he was capable of hiding his intentions. The mere way he held himself spoke of numerous different secrets wrapped up in a non-mortal body, not as if they were at any threat of coming out, but… something else. Perhaps he simply tired of holding secrets and hiding the truth and chose to break through with his words.

"A group? Is it like the supernatural groups?" Takumi questioned, wracking his head for any clues as to how he could've messed up and brought a group against him. Of course, there were bound to be questions asked about the little show he put up during the engagement and the fact that his group seemingly warped out without a single ounce of magic used was definitely going to raise some issues with all of the barriers that were probably in place. To be honest, this move was rather foolish in hindsight, but they managed to get someone out of a relationship that was going to be abusive; he could live with a lighter soul.

"Not at all – servants. Did you really believe that they wouldn't be planning to attack the other side before they had a chance to be attacked themselves?" the Doctor corrected, lacing his fingers together. "And from what I'm aware of, they've already got a few people on their side. I thought I might as well get on the right side when I saw what they're doing. Tell me, have you heard the news lately? Anything about increased sales?"

"I recall there being a great increase in the amount of tea sold in nearby areas, but nothing of concern. Why, do you truly wish us to believe that tea is troubling to us as a threat?" the armoured Saber stated with a hand to his chin. The way that the Doctor smiled at that was just a little bit unnerving to Takumi, pulling Alice closer to his body much to her enjoyment. Sure, Kuoh wasn't exactly known as a place that drank a lot of tea, but how menacing could increased sales be?

"Exactly and for seemingly no reason! Don't tell me that doesn't look strange to you?" the doctor declared emphatically, leaping from his chair with enthusiasm utterly unbridled. "From what I understand, the majority of sales has gone to a certain company named the Tsukihime corporation, a company that recently hasn't been having much success and I swear it's the same every time; when a large company suddenly has a swell in success that completely goes against any logic, it's usually because there's no good reason for it to have done so."

"…Hey old man, you sound really confident, but your words sound uncertain!" Alice accused, the small white haired caster grinning wildly as the man began to splutter. If he could recall the small bits of knowledge he had managed to get about the show from the English translations, then the man definitely wasn't someone who was happy to be old and definitely wasn't happy to have it reminded to him.

"…I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that and carry on. From what I've managed to find out, we're dealing with approximately a pair of enemy servants already acting under a master. Don't you think there's a link there?" the Doctor urged, Takumi mulling the idea over his head. There's apparently two other servants that someone else has teamed up with and at a similar time, a group that wasn't doing the best suddenly begins to swell. As well as this, the servants are aiming to go against anyone else with servants (i.e. Him), meaning that there is a chance they could use this success if they are linked in some sort of plan to attack him. It definitely sounded like some sort of action novel plotline, but if there really were servants aiming to go after him, he had to take any protections he could; he knew first hand just how dangerous they could be.

"Well what are we mean to do? After all, I can't just go around and simply ask people about servants and it's not that easy to challenge a big corporation about their success no matter what." Takumi reasoned, the gentle tug upon his sleeve having him turn down to where Jack looked out of the window, the night stars twinkling brightly.

"…I'll find out." Was the girl's limited response before she walked casually up to the window, a small push having the glass give way before Jack was off like a bullet, not a sign of her presence at all visible from the window. How a girl could be so stealthy at such a young age was unfathomable to Takumi, but she was also the legendary Jack the Ripper; she kind of had to be stealthy if she didn't want to be discovered. A laugh escaped the doctor as he looked to the window, the elderly looking man turning back to the rest of the group with a bright grin.

"I like that girl – knows how to do things when they need to be done." He offhandedly commented before his expression became far more serious. "But what we need to do now is make sure that you can defend yourself when it comes time. Sure, you aren't exactly going to be tangling with a servant, but if someone assaults you, you better have something you can use."

* * *

"Tell me, have any of the alarms activated yet? After all, with the numbers I've been shipping, you should've at least managed to get something done already." A voice grumbled, a foot tapping irritably as a well-kept man bowed towards them. His eyes held a calculating glint, but his smile was more than just disarming as a hand moved to his chin.

"Well, considering all of the possible combinations that could compose the formula, there is a particularly likely chance that the shipment containing the right levels has been shipped. Of course, that does take into account whether it has actually been opened or if it has been stored away, how the drink is consumed with perhaps errors appearing with the dilution of the formula…" the man would've rambled on had he not seen the hand in front of his face, the one in charge letting out a small growl.

"I thought you promised me little room for errors Archer. I did not realise your words meant so little." Even in the face of his master's ire, Archer did little more than flick his hair back into place, the smile remaining upon his lips.

"Whether it be with physics, chemistry, biology or any other science, there is always room for error when done by human hands. You cannot fault even a heroic spirit for that which we cannot alter. Did I not tell you my chemistry abilities are not the highest?" the man mused with a mall chuckle, but it immediately faded away when he felt the smallest pulse of magic flicker upon the back of his skull. It was most certainly not a normal phenomenon, but one that did indeed bring a great smile to his face far more than the teasing look from before. "Ah, but it appears that one of them has been activated. Fairly close by as well, so it shan't be too much trouble to identify which pack was purchased."

"Notify Assassin of the location immediately and get that formula created on a larger scale. There's no time to waste if we are to make most effect of Lancer's capabilities." The master ordered roughly before walking away. They would still need to check up on Caster and what she had managed to dig up on the opposition, if the lazy girl had even managed to find anything of interest. As their master stepped away, the man gave a small tut, a notepad rapidly in hand with several different notes jotted down at lightning speed. It had been a rather tedious procedure trying to have Caster create such a spell, but it would truly accelerate the plans that had been put into place.

"I suppose I can consider myself fortunate that Lancer shows no emotions towards me. How awkward that would be if she managed to attain feelings for one of their own side." The man muttered beneath his breath as the clapping of his boots against the floor filled the empty area. Hopefully, he would be able to return to his research; he just knew that he was getting somewhere closer to his goal and maybe if there was enough progress, he wouldn't even require the ultimate prize! "All of the things that managed to evade me in life, every single discovery I came so close to finding… they will all be in my grasp! Science will ascend to levels unheard of with my discoveries!"

Caster could hear the demented laughter from her own room, her findings being enough to satisfy her master for now. She had quite blatantly declared she would be more productive if she could have her room soundproofed, so naturally her kind and loving master decided to have her put next to one of the loudest and most often explosion producing servants under his control. Couldn't he simply reign in his retched laughter and miserable experiments for once in his life!?

"He chases the only hope he has left in this world. All that he's familiar with is gone, he held no women in his arms and the friends few he had have spent their time." Caster let out a small cry when the smooth tones of the white haired man entered far too close to be acceptable into her ear, the blanket covered girl leaping to the other side of the bed. Pulling the hat from his head, an empty chuckle escaped the man; Caster had never heard such a dull thing in her entire life. "I'm sure you'll find something that's just as precious to you one day. Just wait and hope."

Sure, Caster would always find the tolerance in her to listen to the Berserker servant's words, considering that the few he gave were usually highly intuitive thanks to his incredible intelligence, but there was something about his surprising optimism at times that really had her on edge. It was as if there was something else the Berserker was looking for, not just his stated wish of revenge.

"I suppose you've had it just as rough in your own life, huh?" Caster answered, returning to her act of folding new friends. It was fairly therapeutic and it helped make forming conversation a whole lot easier. "Losing your lover and having your only friends in the world either dead of incredibly close to your enemies. He also didn't spend as much time in prison as you did."

"That is true my lady. However, it has only resulted in giving me the skills I need in order to make your success come to light. I have suffered for many a year and in this form, I will never know the sweet scent of revenge; the least I could do is ensure you never have to feel the despair most horrid I was forced to meet." Berserker answered with a hollow smile, returning to his quite brooding while Caster continued her work with her eyes occasionally flashing to the screen before her. She was no idiot - the white haired pale man was not idle, but flicking though several thoughts at speeds beyond perhaps even the fastest computer available to the world. From what she was aware of, the man had a mind forged of steel unlike many berserkers she could think of and most likely, it was the incredible ruthlessness in the way he went about his tasks with an almost autonomous efficiency and brutality that had earnt him his class.

"But still, I never really had to go through that… sometimes I worry about the stuff you and Lancer have been through and then I remember – if you're a heroic servant, then you've probably managed to find a way through it." Caster declared, her eyes returning to the digital light before her. She had gone through a life of relative ease, the only issue she ever had to deal with being those who would ever dare enter her castle. Whenever she tried to look into the Berserker's heart, all she could see were several incomprehensible images before she was forced out with a tut from the man and even Lancer had produced an image she was capable of comprehending!

"…I am a man plucked from his worst time. I am not the man you expect me to be, but the one who still grieves the loss of his beloved. The one who yearns for the warmth of his daughter, who has yet to reap the consequences of those who have wronged me. Needless to say, it is incredibly hard to consider the me who stands before you now as someone who has succeeded in finding a way through life." Berserker declared, standing with a single movement and dusting off his suit, the hat elegantly replaced upon a bed of white hair as his red eyes peered down at Caster. "If you wish to see a man who has hope, then wait just a little bit longer. Perhaps they will surround you, but you will not see this face within that crowd. Now, I'm afraid I have work to do."

Caster could but watch the man leave in silence, her work all but forgotten. How could he leave like that, on such a depressing note? Sometimes, the other servants could be so incredibly annoying! He could've just said 'bye' or something like that, but no! He's too rich and smart to settle for something that easy. But that was just her blowing things out of proportion. Pulling the blanket draped over her shoulders tighter to her body, the only thing the black haired girl could do was give a huff, push her glasses back into place and return to her monitors. Surely something entertaining could be found to drag her mind away from how weird all of the other servants were.

* * *

 _It's really not too difficult and you can surely see,_

 _To make a spell that's truly swell is just like A-B-C!_

 _You take a single image, a concept that feels right_

 _And then you add in power until you form a light._

 _See spells that don't form elements are really quite generic;_

 _Light is formed by many save for those more esoteric._

 _Then through a magic circle you can channel your creation,_

 _And now you can cast any spell in any situation!_

Magic was not as strange as Takumi had thought it to be, especially with the methodical process one had to go through in order to produce a magic circle if you weren't willing to simply brute force your way into making a butchered spell. While the Doctor was much more sceptical of the idea of magic, there was simply no denying what it was possible for people to do with the art; this wasn't his own world where humans could only go around shooting each other meaning it was up to him to take up a different direction while Alice tried to impart her knowledge with admittedly some trouble.

"I don't use the weird way of magic that humans seem to use here, but if it's for my father, then I'll be trying my hardest!" the white haired girl declared upon first learning of what Takumi would be doing before immediately producing a magic circle with but a small struggle and poking out tongue. "I've gotten so used to my way, this is really weird! But, usually human swill use equations in order to produce magic circles that can act as a catalyst in altering the inner energies of magicians into the desired effect or those with more power can simply use a larger amount of magic in order to skip the magic circle."

"Is there really a reason for someone to skip out on the magic circle? It just sounds less efficient than doing it with one." Takumi questioned, the brown haired man not ready for when Caster came up right in his face with a disapproving face, a pout upon her lips as she immediately went into a lecturing voice or as much as she could do considering her apparent age.

"Didn't I tell you seconds before father? All magic circles are constructed of equations silly! If you come up against someone with more experience, then they would be able to read all of the equations that composed it. Without a magic circle, you can keep you secrets safe, okay? Just think about it."

With her arms folded in front of her, there was no denying that Alice was trying her damn hardest to remain as serious as possible, but on the other hand, she had the appearance of a child. It was so strange seeing her being a teacher and speaking of such thought to be unnatural stuff as if it were an everyday occurrence and yet the sheer serenity she had in explaining the concepts to the librarian… there were still many things he didn't know about these young girls, or his other servants. Takumi was brought out of his musings by the sudden clash upon the table before him, the man's eyes being drawn to the surprisingly complex equations before him.

"Well, those are the only ones I can really remember – you'll probably want to go to a proper magician if you want anything more complex than that. I'll just stick with my amazing imagination and abilities!" the white haired Caster declared, a bright smile on her face as the frown upon Takumi's only continued to grow. These were considered the basics? Thank god he didn't decide to just jump in on the deep end, he would probably have quit immediately.

"No, you did great at school, you can push your way through all of this!" and that was where he still sat an hour later, barely making his way through the first page of equations. A liberal fusion of pure maths and both abstract and mechanic physics, there was plenty for him to try and comprehend, for even the most basic of spells were formed of numerous complex art pieces of numbers and symbols. His only relief from the great boredom was when Jack suddenly appeared by his side, but a single look spared towards the mass of maths before her master before she spoke in her usual hushed tones.

"There have been accidents everywhere. People poisoned, acting strangely… immediately dying with no _apparent_ cause of death." The assassin spoke and there was no need for either of the two to spend a second questioning it. Rushing out of the police box now carefully rammed inside his house incredibly awkwardly, both Rider and Saber came out at the declaration, eyes focused upon the news.

"So, the results and finally in are they? Now this is exactly what we should've expected." The doctor declared, his hands moving to his chin. "Do you have a clue where the worst affected are?"

"Major deaths are located randomly. Nearest is around seven streets away from here." Jack reported off without a single moment's hesitation. Damn it, when did they manage to build up such a rapport when the Rider servant had only joined his side so recently? Regardless, it gave them a target they could begin to investigate; their next action of investigation was now clear.

The trip into the police box was admittedly rather short, something that Takumi could definitely get behind; with the power of Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, there was never going to be a trip that took too long, but it was more the fact that when he exited onto the bare street, there was not a single sign of his servants other than the rather obvious vessel they had arrived in.

"Oh right, apparently they can become invisible now… just great. Why can't I be told these things before you just go and do them?" Takumi questioned, glad for the lack of people upon the night street. He could already feel the mortification come over him at the idea of being seen speaking to nobody.

" _Most masters already know about this. I suppose we simply believed you were the same. How foolish of us in hindsight."_ The Saber's voice was coming from his left hand side, the tone of mocking and mirth pretty clear in his tones as a sigh escaped Takumi. With a shake of his head, the man began to cautiously make his way down the street to the house Jack recalled; the idea was that they would be able to send the servants in to try and search the house for what they were assuming to be contaminated tea, returning it to the TARDIS to see what they could pull up. What they weren't expecting to see was a figure stood upon the rooftops launching down from above, their figure silhouetted in the moonlight.

"My apologies, but it appears that I am to be your opponent for today." The silhouette declared, a hat pulled off of a head of white hair into a grand bow. Stepping out into the light of a street lamp, Takumi wasn't sure how to react when he saw the man's red glaring eyes even with his casual smile, or the way he held himself as if he wanted nothing more than to utterly annihilate the brunette. The only thing he could do when the beam came straight towards his face was to turn as rapidly as possible, leaping back as Alice appeared from her hiding place.

" _Sorry if I don't join in the fun – I'm not exactly the kind of person fit to be fighting out on a proper battlefield. You know, unless there's a systematic network of complex machinery that will react negatively to electronic stimulation."_ Takumi heard the Doctor explain from his side as both Assassin and Saber went forth against the odd white haired man. _"You'll be surprised how well things go when you can point and make the ground itself explode."_

"My… you certainly fight well, but do you truly believe this to be enough? Your lovely little group is strong, but not strong enough." There was a playful hint to their opponent's voice as he blocked each and every attack that came his way, but a single arm held out to stop the blasts that came his way, while a grab of Saber's arm had him unable to do much before he was thrown away as if nothing more than a toy. "If you can barely go against one berserker, than how do you think you can cope against any more?"

"Don't just look down on us!" Thank god Alice had been kind enough to have a few magic circles already formed from the equations, for Takumi would've been utterly defenceless otherwise. A held out hand had a small circle of purple form before him, several balls of a similar energy to that of Caster's launching forward. The enemy simply gave a laugh as he let his arms fall wide, the blasts falling off harmlessly from his clothes with barely even a burn to say that the librarian attacked in the first place, but that didn't stop the second round of shots from coming his way.

"My my, Do you really have the hope to believe that repeating your little attack will stop me? Do you not believe it will be changed for despair?" the white haired man questioned, every magic attack sent his way batted effortlessly, though the Alice and Charles-Henri's interjections did earn a little bit more attention when they came randomly at him. with the enemy Berserker moving closer by the second, Takumi couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge, the ultimately inconsequential stream of magic bullets doing nothing but waste energy and time until the man was standing right within touching distance. "Or perhaps is it that you yearn for despair? You want to die right now at my hand."

"Nope… I just wanted to be a good distraction." The magic may have stopped, but that didn't mean that Takumi was done, for a flying palm had the white haired stranger's eyes opening far wider. Had someone, a mere human with apparently very little in the way of magecraft, decided to _slap_ a heroic servant? That brief moment of questioning pause was more than enough for Jack to take advantage of, her legs driving into the enemy's side and forcing him away from their master for Charles-Henri to take over.

"Вероятно, это грустная песня, Berserker. It appears you're too concerned with eloquence to remember than a team is more than just one man." The armoured Saber tutted, the illusion falling away to reveal the metal that covered the majority of the servant's body as his sword swung forward without a sound. For someone who was meant to be, according to what Takumi was told, a man with little sanity left within his body, the enemy Berserker was surprisingly well spoken and fluid within his movements rather than the brutish force he had been made to expect. "Are you not going to use your mad enhancement? Admittedly, I have not heard of many berserkers who could only activate their madness through certain situations."

"Oh, my class skill has been active the whole time; I merely am disappointed to find that it appears to be rather unnecessary for this fight." Berserker sighed, a second after the statement before Takumi found himself near choking, hands reaching for his clogged throat as he was drawn down onto his knees. If a normal onlooker were to somehow be able to stand within the enemy berserker's presence at the time, they may not see any difference in the man, but there was a near viscous foul aura emanating from their opponent, red eyes shining with near madness so much that it was almost as if they had started to swirl.

"Are you still able to hold onto your hope? Do you believe that you can beat the despair of facing someone so clearly stronger than you all combined?" the white haired man questioned, his stance forming something more primal before he shot forward, ominous balls of purple flame within his palms that were viciously forced into Saber's armour. With a cry, the man was forced back, the first signs of wear appearing upon the trench coat Takumi thought invincible. Barely a moment's hesitation came before both Alice and jack launched afterwards, a shared glance having their plans formed out. "PATHETIC! This sort of hope will get you nowhere in life!"

They were not prepared for the foot that slammed down onto the Assassin's back, a small cough escaping her as the boot ground into her back. Caster was no better, for the manifestation of nursery rhymes was brutally caught within a tightening grip of iron, Takumi unable to control his impulses when he saw the first flickers of a malicious flame lick at the young girl's face.

"Let them go!" but who was he to face a heroic spirit? A backhand was all that was needed in order to force the weak librarian away, Charles-Henri standing before the librarian as a deep breath had him charging up energy.

 _ **One cannot glow without throwing souls to the fires.**_

 _ **The stamping of judgement draws ever closer.**_

 _ **Our hopes and light will come with the dawn.**_

"I don't think so."

"What!?"

A fierce punch to the Saber's side had him flying away without a second thought, a fireball thrown almost casually towards seemingly nothing causing the Doctor to cry out, the grey haired Rider materialising before he could sneak away with his new possession. With one great stomp upon the body of Assassin, Alice brutally thrown on top of her like a basic ragdoll, the White haired berserker prowled his way towards Rider, ripping the package from his hands.

"And with that, you have lost your last bastion of hope against me. Do hope you don't fall into despair too fast." And with a massive leap, there was not a sign of Berserker to be found, the spots leaving Takumi's eyes as he regained his breath once more. He had gotten so used to the idea that servants were unbeatable that he forgot it could also be applied against him, how foolish! But he could think about their failure later; Takumi, with the last of his strength, made his way towards the two girls, his last conscious breath having him see them without any sort of movement before he too fell by their side.

* * *

The bed Takumi awoke in was not one he was familiar with, the librarian launching out of the covers as delicately as possible; though he had not been actually hit, the man was more than struggling to control his breathing no matter how far away that… monster was. The idea that such creatures could even possibly exist was something that Takumi didn't want to ponder for too long. The man was left with only his thoughts and his own footsteps as he made his way down the corridor towards the whirring, hoping silently that it was the right way to the main room, when he bumped into Charles-Henri with what the brunette could only assume was a worried expression, heading straight towards him.

"I am glad to see you awake Master. Though I dared not think it for too long, there was a part of me that feared for your death; we would not know for an hour or so." The Saber servant remarked, his final steps drawing Takumi's attention to the small limp that had entered the armoured man's posture. It was just another reminder of just how much they were unprepared for something of a higher level and a silent curse, one of the few that Takumi ever gave in his life, passed his lips. "While I am fortunately less injured, I cannot say the same for the others. Rider requests your presence in the main console room however."

"But can't I go see how Alice and Jack are faring first?" Takumi interrupted as Charles-Henri turned away. "After all, you can't just say things like you did and expect me not to be worried about them."

"I cannot tell you were they are unfortunately. The Doctor has seen to have them placed within a much higher intensity recuperation room than we required." Charles-Henri answered without a single inflection of emotion before he walked forward, hanging back just enough so that the servant would remain in the sight of his clearly now more annoyed master. It wouldn't do to have him get lost in the oddly winding corridors of the TARDIS and if his master just so happened to decide it would be easier to simply try and force his way towards the girl blind, who knew how deep he would go before being lost?

The Doctor himself was staring intently at both the screen before and the strange glowing tool in his hand; he had never expected to see the results he had, but it definitely explained what would be classed as strange behaviour. Turning at the sound of approaching footsteps, the man's face schooled itself into a firm frown at the sight of his new master, the questioning look towards the item in his hand doing little to put him off of his discovery.

"I haven't been able to find out just who that Berserker could be and why he was able to beat so many servants so easily, but I did manage to get a primary scan of the various chemicals that could be found in the tea drunk by the one who ended up dying. What I found has given me a result I most certainly wasn't expecting." The Doctor declared without a single moment's pause, only turning around at the cough Takumi gave.

"Where are Alice and Jack? I heard that you placed them within a high intensity room." Takumi interjected, his hands gripping the railings tightly as he looked down upon the Grey haired man at the main console. "I think they should be here if you're going to discuss something important like this."

"Well they have yet to recover. There was a strange, almost poison like effect within the magic used by the enemy Berserker and I'm not too sure what it would be like if I don't have any medical system upon them. We were the lucky ones to be honest – Saber has his armour and I have my ways." The stern look in his eyes was more than enough to have the fidgeting master stay within his place, but the looks that strayed towards the doorways never stopped. "Anyway, I managed to find out the cause of death was a heart attack, seeing as the tea that was consumed contained a large amount of adrenaline, which would result in an overly excessive heartbeat and blood pressure. That would be more than enough to believe that there was something suspicious going on, but it was the other chemicals that were involved."

Beckoning the two forward, the Doctor spun the screen towards them, Charles-Henri's medical background being more than enough to understand the individual effects at least while Takumi was forced to turn back to the two men for an explanation.

"Testosterone, oestrogen, adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and vasopressin… they're all naturally occurring chemicals that don't normally require an external source, so why on earth would a company be trying to involve such a strange combination within tea of all things?" Charles-Henri mused aloud, a finger tapping against his face with a strange metallic click that shouldn't be there if Takumi wasn't aware of the armour that constantly covered his body. It was only then when he the executioner went back for a second look, his fists slamming onto the desk as Takumi could only look on in confusion. The first two were relatively normal for people, but save for adrenaline and dopamine, he had no idea what the others could be.

"Wait, what on earth… Truly?" Charles exclaimed, his eyes scanning up and down the various numbers with something akin to disgust, a look that you wouldn't expect to find from A: a man wearing a metal mask and B: a man who did executions for a living. "This is remarkable, Takumi… this, if I'm understanding this correctly… the person behind this is trying to make some sort of love potion."

 **And that's going to be it for now! Next time, we'll pay a little more attention to the aftermath of the events in the underworld. now, you should have a pretty good idea who the enemy Caster, Berserker and Assassin is and maybe you can take a shot at the Archer too - have fun!**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	12. Chapter 12 - the deals

**Greetings friends! We're back once more and this time... well, admittedly little actually happens. Things will pick up soon, but for now, it's time for some talks, tricks and attempts to do magic! Hopefully, this also helps towards revealing some things as well, you can probably find for yourself what that means , let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Bauen: Looks like you've got a little issue on your hand. Who's that strange girl upon your doorstep?_

 _Takumi: A mission gone wrong, there's an odd saboteur afoot find her quickly, Build!_

 _Bauen: There's no denying it, this could be a dangerous job. Fight with all of your might!_

 _Takumi: Devils, spirits, a war unknown to the populous... this is way too much!_

 _B + T: Rider once more! The story begins!_

* * *

"Do you not understand how absurd this notion is!? We had already agreed upon the conditions set, there is no reason why we should ever allow a stunt like this to occur, let alone be accepted! Even if you are a Maou, I cannot tolerate such actions."

Sirzechs remained straight as he let the Phenex Patriarch attempt to rip into him, the outburst coming almost as soon as the enraged man burst through the door. A small side glance showed Serafall near falling asleep at her place, the table proving a fairly effective pillow; the redheaded man let out a small chuckle at what he could make out as tiny snores. To be honest, the man was a little surprised at her actions, for it was a rather rare sign to see the Lord Phenex get so flustered. The typically polite man was far faster to look down upon actions that were as twisted as Riser would've done, but there was the unfortunate fact that he simply had not known what would've occurred. The only side of his youngest son Lord Phenex had seen was the polite, if a little arrogant child, not the manipulative and sleazy 'king'.

"What you have to realise is, the deal that occurred right afterward was perfectly legal in its function." The Maou Lucifer declared, his hands raised in peace. "While it was you and my parents who discuss the marriage contract that was to occur between my sister and your youngest, that was merely because my parents were assumed to hold the same views as Rias due to her age. Now that she is older, she could make a decision herself and the fact that both sides held no objection to the deal that was proposed means that there is no reason why it shouldn't be just as acceptable as the original marriage contract."

A growl escaped Lord Phenex as he turned away from the table, his wife sat awkwardly beside him. The man was a pure stickler for the rules, if he could conjure up a loophole that none other could've even hoped to find, then there was no doubt that it would be revealed and abused in mere seconds. Perhaps the whole situation could've been other in seconds if there had been another who made the deal, but there was always the anticipation of a tiny little exploit that could somehow miraculously change the entire situation. Hopefully, Sirzechs had already dealt with them…

"Urgh, why do I already now you've dealt with any of the gaps I could abuse?" Lord Phenex eventually sighed, a hand moving to his forehead as he took his seat, defeated. This was the man Sirzechs had come to know, the man who was more worried about the future of the devils than the 'inconceivable notion' that was the annulling of the marriage contract between Riser and Rias. "To be honest, Riser needed a bit of humbleness beaten into him. I fear I have been lax in my parenting of him ever since little Ravel entered the picture."

"I wouldn't exactly use the term lax when it comes to that situation." Sirzechs corrected with a small frown marring his face. "While the attention to Ravel has certainly seen her grow into a wonderful girl, Riser has become far too confident in his supposed ability to manipulate the impression he gives. The man you see as a playboy is far too lustful for decency, the man you see as arrogant, egotistical and pompous. He has made it so he is greater in your eyes while still keeping it so that any stories told can be explained off as misunderstandings rather than any sort of cause for concern. On that mark, I must applaud him I suppose."

"…I had always thought there was more to Riser than he was willing to let show; it's a typical devil move, but I let the reassurances stay my hand." Lady Phenex admitted at little more than a whisper, her hands mindlessly stroking each other for comfort. "Our other children seemed so effortlessly wonderful, I had thought Riser was just the same. I don't know whether I can think of him in the same way considering his actions…"

"The past is in the past. You can only let him know the consequences of such behaviour will not be accepted." Sirzechs reassured, reaching across the table to cover her conjoined hands in his own for a brief moment. "Accept the deal that took place with that young boy and show Riser the folly of his ways. Be good parents – that's all anyone can ask."

It was when the two parents finally walked away when Serafall regained her usual attitude, the girl bouncing around to face Sirzechs with the brightest smile she could muster.

"Right, now that the boring stuff is out of the way, I wanna know! Where did you find him?" the perky black haired girl launched immediately the girl slamming her hands onto the conference table as she leant as far forward as she could. Whether it be her magical girl costume, her utter exuberance in dealing with every situation she found herself in or the skilful manipulation of her political and physical opponents with her looks, Serafall was definitely not as person who did things by halves, a trait that Sirzechs personally liked to focus on in order to somewhat even out how much her personality quirks could prove to be somewhat grating. "Those little girls were just so cute! Argh, I just wanna hug them all!"

"… I'm guessing you're not going to speak about the two men that were also by his side? And how they so effortlessly destroyed their opponent through skilful abuse of the regeneration effect of their enemy in order to assure their victory and systematic fear tactics, all done within a celebration hall that was hastily altered rather than a proper rating game arena with allowed time for planning?" Sirzechs pondered aloud, watching as the black haired Maou grew more and more embarrassed by the second. "I'm glad you prove yourself as an efficient Maou Leviathan Serafall, otherwise I would be far more concerned for your behaviour."

"But I'm also the head of personal relations! It gives us a chance to interact with non-reincarnated humans more without the need for contracts!" Serafall countered, a hand going to her cheek as she began rocking in place. "The only humans we interact with are reincarnated devils who are trying to get used to our society or mages that want to form one sided contracts. This is one of the few excuses we have to just grill a human!"

While it may seem a little bit exaggerated, there was certainly truth to her words. After all, many devils rarely interacted with humans or indeed, any other species than themselves save for when they were being reincarnated into peerages or those of high political status. Adding that to the idea that they also didn't exactly want to speak with humans and there was an admittedly small range of information sources they could have for knowledge about other species. Sure, there were the few times where they learnt human preferences when the reincarnated devils had their request/demands, but who knows how they would react if they were near interrogated about their lives? Reincarnation usually required the subject to have died – they're none too quick to talk about their prior lives.

"I suppose you're right in that regard, just remember not to go too crazy upon him. Make sure to ask for permission first, but I feel like you'll ignore that anyway." Sirzechs warned with a chuckle, his partner happily bouncing in her seat at the thought. Trust Serafall to overreact at the concept of talking to someone who was supposedly inferior to them.

"Yay!... but to be honest, that's not what I'm scared about. You know that move did a bit to damage your reputation right? Finding a loophole in order to break of a politically important union." Serafall's tone became much calmer as her eyes sharpened, the look of the adult she was meant to be coming full force. Sirzechs could only give a small wipe of his forehead, concern filling his eyes as his lips gave out something more positive.

"I know, I understand full well. I just hope that those who would use it against me will hold their hands."

* * *

"A love potion? Why on earth would someone make a love potion?" Takumi questioned as he looked to the screen, the different chemicals listed off barely starting to make any more sense. "I mean, they could try and attract me, but that would result in me learning who it would be keyed to and it would probably be easier to kill me than find a way to poison my food. I don't think it would be as easy to poison a heroic spirit either, right?"

"That is correct. While there is a possibility that they don't expect you to be skilled in the act of sensing, there is too much of a risk of us being around you to sense for you and considering that this is predominantly formed of hormones, it would also be slow acting which means there would be time for someone to notice the change in personality before it was too late." Charles-Henri listed off, medical practitioner combining with heroic spirit as he spoke with a calm, if confused, tone. "The only thing I could possibly think of in that case would be an innocent victim, but that doesn't exactly give us a motive."

The Doctor was silent at the side, several different scenarios buzzing through his mind; the ability to enthral, to form a natural attraction to one specific person or even just generally make someone more docile, more trusting, more _vulnerable_ … there was a lot you could do with that.

"It's incredibly unlikely that this is for any of us, but a close friend, a family member, even a random stranger in order to act as bait in a trap? They're not exactly going to have the same defences." The Doctor pointed out, his hands lying flat against the metal of the console. "We have to be careful for any advancements of warning signs, keep an eye out for any recent developments. Seeing as the Berserker was rather proud of what he caught, I would say that they already have everything they need, meaning there's no need to make further public dosages. If we monitor where clear differences are, it's much more likely that it will be the one they want to poison."

"So someone's gonna get poisoned?" the gentle voice was enough to cause Takumi's head to turn at speeds worthy of whiplash, the librarian launching himself up the stairs towards the origin. Easing Alice's arm off of her shoulders, Jack was bracing herself for an impact that wasn't to come, but had the brunette taken just a second later to fall to his knees, perhaps it would've been a different story.

"I am so happy to see you safe… I don't know how I would deal with myself if you were to be lost." Takumi breathed out, the two girls gingerly wrapping their arms around him in return, not through hesitation at all. "I can barely handle knowing I was there for a stranger's death, to lose you two…"

"Don't worry Father, Saber is a super doctor! With his medicine stuff, I'm sure he'll have us better in the hour, no, the next minute!" The Caster exuberantly answered, a smile blooming upon her lips as Jack nodded emphatically by her side. "But someone close to you is going to be poisoned?"

"You know, it's almost as if we've disappeared was soon as they walk through the door." The Doctor scoffed with a grin, turning to where Charles-Henri could only give a nod and chuckle in reply before their faces returned to normal. "But yes, someone close to Takumi is going to be poisoned and considering the fact that they clearly have multiple servants as do we, there's very little chance that they didn't have someone checking on you. Now, who do you think would be a little exposed to something like that?"

It would take a moment for Takumi to realise the implication, a small shiver running down his spine as a hand began a journey through the mess that was his hair.

"Oh crap. We need to tell him about this right away."

"But Rias told me that devils were more tolerant against those sorts of things…" Issei remarked as he sipped the milkshake in front of him, Takumi rather glad of the small check that Alice was able to do upon the food that came their way in the quaint little café. "But I guess if it's made by someone aware of the supernatural, they've probably took that into account."

"…I don't know whether I would count them as people close to me, but you should probably tell everyone else in the club of yours as well. You never know how careful you can be." Takumi declared with a twitch, his mind wracking over several different characters that had come through the library's doors lately. Every single one was at risk of being affected by the poison and there was just not enough of an opportunity in order to protect them. There was a moment of understanding from Issei as he continued to sip away at his drink, trying purposely to ignore the realisation that there was now someone who could potentially poison anything he ate.

"So, there's someone else like Jack? Can't they also use the strange fog thing?" Issei asked, pushing the cup away as Takumi shook his head.

"That's a more specific skill. Seeing as they're an enemy, we have no idea what we're meant to expect, but when it comes to an assassin at least, expect anything at any moment. Hopefully, the others will be a bit more obvious with their attacks, but you can never tell with servants." Takumi said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to the setting sun. It was kind of odd trying to pretend that all of the servants weren't around him at the current moment, but it wouldn't exactly be reassuring to Issei if he kept sneaking glances to the invisible spirits surrounding him. Their peaceful silence would be interrupted by the arrival of a blond knight at their table, Kiba's smooth smile doing little for its aim of being reassuring.

"Ah, hello there. Unfortunately, Issei has been called upon for club activities." Kiba stated, his eyes flickering about for a brief moment; Takumi was sure Kiba could at least sense the general feel of the servants surrounding, but there was no need to show that he was aware of that. "Do you mind if I take him to the clubroom? I have to apologise for interrupting your little trip."

"Well, I'm sure he has no objections to it, do you Issei?" an eyebrow was raised at the way that Takumi was so enthusiastic to see his back, but Issei didn't offer too much hesitation when he stood up to the knight piece's side. "Just remember what I said; I don't want to hear you drinking the bad kind of tea, okay? Which bags did I want you to use again?"

There was a small moment of confusion before the younger brunette saw the small shape made by the librarian's hands just out of view, a wink sent his way having a hand meeting Issei's palm.

"Yeah, the triangle ones, okay." Issei answered exasperated, turning away and following behind Kiba with a somewhat forced sigh. It proved to be good enough for Kiba however, the knight leading the way until Takumi was 'alone' at the café. Setting down the payment, he made his own way in the opposite direction, a small tune on his lips.

" _Now Takumi, make sure you don't show any fear or suspicion; you don't want to let yourself appear weak in front of your enemies." The Doctor warned, Charles-Henri nodding at his side with his own advice._

" _A mask of steel is both physical and mental, but both can provide great protection in life."_

* * *

"Pulse!" at Takumi's call, Jack let out the smallest of applauses when she saw the energy collide with the target put before the librarian, said target shattering in a second. From the panting that came from the brunette, it had definitely taken a bit out of him however, something that Alice was quick to pick up on.

"Come on master, you have to be able to do more than that!" the white haired girl called out from the side lines, the girl placing her hands upon her hips with a huff. "You're abilities aren't the most efficient at this moment, but you shouldn't be getting this tired this easily!"

"An hour now. Done it for a long time." Jack pointed out, her eyes enraptured by the subtle glow of each light as it flew down the haphazard line they had managed to produce in the smallest corner of the park, the lightest possible usage of the assassin's fog preventing any early wakers from noticing the strange occurrences. "Early in the morning as well, not enough time to sleep."

"If I decide to wake up this early in order to help him train, then it only makes sense that father trains!" Alice countered, only for a great yawn to escape and colour her cheeks with red, a tired chuckle escaping Takumi as he walked over.

"And thanks for that Alice, but if you want to go back to sleep, I think we've done enough for tonight. Before we know it, it might be dawn." The librarian suggested, stopping himself from falling back when he first felt the weight of a young girl fall against him, content. While Jack much preferred the welcoming darkness of the night, the essence of nursery rhymes given physical form certainly embraced the childish attitude her body would suggest no matter how much she tried to fight it; Takumi just had to wonder why a… concept, could get tired in the first place. Was it trying to regain power through sleeping?

Carrying the tired Lolita home, with Jack probably following along in the shadows, Takumi gave a sigh as he shut the door after a few moments' fumbling, only just managing to place the girl onto a bed before he heard the gentle knocking upon the door. Had it been an ordinary situation, he would probably ignore it, but as soon as the librarian was aware of the fact that Jack sat beside him, invisible still, the brunette found the courage to answer the call.

"Hi there! I would've come at a different time, but I was watching you out in the park and I thought maybe coming early in the morning would be better!" the girl stood rocking upon her feet at his door... was not in the right frame of mind. Clad in a ludicrous magical girl costume, the black haired girl looked like she belonged more in a studio rather than out in public and there was no way in hell there was a man mad enough to believe that an early morning promotion run for some children's show was a good idea. The fact that she mentioned his activities in the park, activities which were meant to be obscured, simply added to the ridiculousness of the situation. Takumi had half a mind to slam the door in her face if it wasn't for the fact that Jack was quietly assuring him of the fact that only those of high power would be able to see through the fog.

Scratch that, it wasn't assuring at all.

"Tell me, why did you believe it would be better to speak to me in the early morning? Perhaps I wanted to sleep now." Takumi pointed out with a sigh, rubbing his eyes. Thank goodness he had the skills to survive; he had spent many a sleepless night when he was younger and it seemed like this was only going to continue the trend. "I am more than capable of dealing with any enquiries through more adequate paths of communication."

"Really? But I just want a little chat, please? Maybe we can sort out a time where we can talk more?" puppy eyes? Seriously? Letting out a low groan, Takumi did end up shutting the door, with only a polite answer rather than the rough denial he wanted to give.

"As I said, I can talk to you otherwise. Come to the library when it opens and deal with me then." He declared, before the snap of a lock left the oddly dressed girl out in the cold, a pout forming upon her lips.

Who on earth would reject Serafall Leviathan? The only people who would ever do that are the other Satans and her family! She had felt his power in the park and it was far greater than a normal human should've had; there was a noticeable difference in power between when a person was fully energised and when they were tired, so she had been certain that the man was a night owl. Being rejected because he was tired? That should've been impossible with how much energy was flowing through his veins!

"But the important question is, how much magical power does he have when he's not tired?" Serafall muttered to herself, a giggle escaping her as she turned away. "This guy gets more exciting each time I see him! Now, let's get some work done. Sirzechs will get upset if I put it off for too long…"

But then she paused. Eyes flickered back and forth and as soon as she was certain the coast was clear, a sharp hand shot out with a blast of water, hitting nothing. A second fire once impacted nothing, but by that point, the black haired girl had the sense to stop, lest she bring the wrath of an annoyed owner upon herself and teleported out.

Jack let out the small breath that she was holding – the woman had far greater sensing abilities than she had expected. There were very few servants and people who were able to sense a servant who had taken their spirit form, for it only required the lowest level of mana a heroic spirit could take from their master and the lower the amount of mana taken, the harder it was to sense that mana. She was definitely a devil, but she had to be one of the highest levels they had to offer, and that definitely meant something when she was casually showing up on his doorstep. Wiping herself off, for even with her skills, she still managed to get clipped by some of the water, the spirit leapt back into the house to rest, though she couldn't help but keep the image of the woman in her mind.

The morning came far too quickly however, Takumi humming a soft tune in order to prevent himself from falling asleep. With the two girls at his side and a warning glance from both Charles-Henri and the Doctor, the man pulled out the key as he approached the library's doors, fumbling about in order to access his office, sending a cold hello to the girl sat before his desk as he took his ch- wait, what?

It was the exact same girl from before clad in the exact same garish magical girl costume, somehow sitting in the chair in front of his desk in his _locked_ office in the _locked_ library with a look upon her face as if she was supposed to be there. As soon as she caught a glimpse of his face, it was as if the sun had decide d to shine, the brightest of smiles appearing on the girls face as she hopped to her feet.

"I did it! Now can we talk?" the girl asked, leaning forward with her hands behind her back. The movement did well in emphasising something that Takumi hadn't noticed in the darker hours of the morning, her bust surprisingly large for her stature. Hoping that his sleep deprived mind wouldn't blurt out something too inappropriate for the situation, the librarian let out a cough, his hands rubbing away at his face as he positioned himself properly in his seat.

"You know what? I'm not going to ask how you managed to appear in my office. What do you want to know?" Takumi asked, watching as a frown began to appear on the girl's face, only to be utterly obliterated a moment later when she suddenly perked up with a clap.

"I never told you my name, did I? Call me Serafall! Or magical girl Levia-tan if you really want!" the black haired girl realised with a wink, an awkward laugh escaping her at Takumi's dead stare. "Fine fine, only the serious stuff. Do you know what role I hold? Never mind, the way that you look at me already tells me everything. I'm a Satan – a leader of the devils, specifically the head of relations and that means I talk with different factions and people. That includes special humans like you, Takumi Yuu."

Now this peaked his interest. Sure, how cautious Jack had been around her had given him a hint that the girl was something more than she first appeared, but for one of the leaders of the devils to be a cosplayer of all things, and completely strange in her mannerisms… he had expected a person far more menacing or strict.

"This is to deal with the situation that occurred with that Phenex person, isn't it?" Takumi deduced, the smile upon Serafall's face only growing by the second. "I'm not going to apologise for that – I did what I did of my own accord information I was given rather than being forced, I hold no regrets."

"That's the official excuse I needed in order to talk to you, but don't worry – I'll just blag something for the reports." Serafall assured with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What I want to talk about is your friends. After all, they seem to act upon your words and I can feel there's a link between you, but the only time you feel that sort of link is between a master and familiar."

"They are not subservient to me through my own effect. They choose to follow my words like any other man would." The librarian was quick to counter, the first signs of a frown entering his face. "Like you said, I'm a human. I don't have some sort of power that sways them under my control."

"Then you're like a beast tamer then? The form contracts with the beasts that fight with them." Serafall suggested, a finger tapping against her cheek. "They don't usually share power like you do with your friends, it's the reason why I thought it was something like a familiar contract, but the details behind how the relationship functions – teamwork rather than dominance/submissiveness – mirror a beast tamer closer. Think Pokémon!"

"…Okay then. Is that all you wanted to talk about? I must admit, I'm not really sure how the majority of all of this works, so I don't know how much I could tell you even if I felt like explaining it all." He wasn't an idiot, he wasn't just going to list off everything he knew he could do, especially not to the leader of an entire species; he wasn't exactly in a situation where he could fight off an army if they started getting fearful of his capabilities.

"Actually, I was wondering about something… I was told that you had a bad experience with some devils, right?" there was only a raised eyebrow for her to work off of, but Serafall soldiered onwards regardless. "I wanted to make sure you know that the majority of us are actually really cool people! I mean, there's also the fact that you helped Rias get out of that stupid forced engagement…"

"Any other person would do that, and probably for their enemies. It's called being a human, being decent." Takumi explained, his posture tightening as he sat upon the edge of his chair. When he could tuck right into the back of it, he was able to relax, but when he sat upon the edge, he was far more aware. "But I understand that the actions of one will not speak for many. I've met other devils and they seem to be pretty cool actually. I haven't spoken with many, but the few I have showed me quite a range of different personalities."

"Heh, you can say we're awesome if you want to!" there was something about Serafall's smile that had Takumi copying the expression – for every bit of darkness in the world, there would always be at least some light to balance it out. The librarian was actually becoming far more open to the idea of the black haired girl as a leader of the devils, whereas Sirzechs spoke with authority, Serafall's exuberance and emotion was practically infectious and the ability to manipulate the emotions of those following you is quite useful in a political battlefield. "Well, you don't have a grudge against all devils – nice! Does that mea-?"

"Can I stop you there? I think I already know your question." Takumi interrupted, looking to the clock upon the wall. He had wasted the majority of the time he would usually spend tidying the place up with this talk and while it wasn't necessarily an important job, it was still one that needed to be done regardless; he would have to cut this off eventually and actually do some _work_. "If you want me to try and use the girls and the others for a job of some sort, go away and prepare a brief sheet. I'm not just going to jump into anything without prior warning."

"Aw, but can't you just say yes? If I have to do that, then I have to go back, make a report on my findings and then create a report on any possible job offers and all of the legal stuff! That takes forever to get done properly!" the black haired girl whined, her feet kicking as all thoughts of Serafall being an effective leader went straight out of Takumi's head. Honestly, he had not expected that to work, but it was a common story trope – the main character learns he has powers and when he meets someone who knows about his powers, he ends up getting pulled into an adventure beyond imagination. Takumi would at least know what kind of adventure he was going to have, thank you very much!

His response was to reach out to the side of the desk, fingers casually leafing through several different pages as his eyes searched, what for, Serafall couldn't tell. When that apparently turned out fruitless, he then proceeded into a second stack, each sheet falling onto the original until he gave a sigh, the final sheet falling. The sudden thump before the black haired girl had her jumping slightly as the now sizeable pile was sat before her.

"Details on which books had been taken out, what damages have been occurred and how they might affect the afflicted book's lifespan, new book orders including replacements as indicated by the damages dealt to them or simply never being returned, various bills that work towards the maintenance of the library, a tally of the finances that are coming into the library through donations and other means and more." Takumi listed, Serafall picking up one of the sheets, followed by two before she was leafing through the mini mountain with a look of shock, her silent question within her eyes causing the librarian to nod. "All to be dealt with in about… a couple of days? You can handle a couple of reports, I'm sure, but if it really is such a trouble, you better get ready to move fairly quickly."

"Ack, that was way too harsh! Takumi, you can't just push someone off like that!" Serafall cried out, but a wink at the end had all anger taken out of the words. "Oh by the way, maybe you should block the small gap below your door if you want to be really safe. Sure, you can only fit a piece of paper beneath there, but who knows what some people could do? Bye!"

And before he could make another sound, a magical circle had Serafall disappear before his eyes. Blinking twice, h finally caught the small edge peeking out from beside one of the cupboards, reaching out to pull out the…

"Magical circle!?" it was woefully intricate, thousands of symbols weaved into one another seamlessly upon the page, but it didn't take a genius in order to figure out the main purpose of the circle. "She slid it under the door with just enough magic to activate it… and summoned herself to the other side!? That's possible!?"

It was definitely not the first thing he could think of, but now that he had thought it through, the plan was far too simple to fail. It was that kind of ingenuity that set people apart – he would need to be more careful around her no matter how friendly she may act, especially if she had tricks like that up her sleeves.

"First though, I really need to get this work done. I think I was overestimating that deadline…"

* * *

 _Mirror Mirror, on the wall,_

 _Who is the fairest of them all?_

" _With pale skin, eyes like ice,_

 _No doubt it's you who stands most nice."_

 _Mirror Mirror, on the wall,_

 _Who is the one most powerful?_

" _You who doesn't bat an eye at vice,_

 _Who would rend their enemies in a single slice."_

Standing well back, the man let out a chuckle as he watched the woman before him writhe in rapturous agony, the brightest of smiles upon her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. He was unsure whether the trembling that wracked the lithe body in front of him was from immense pleasure or pain, not that it truly mattered – in this situation, it was only an issue if it prevented someone from moving at their full potential.

As soon as the eyes of the woman threatened to rise, the man darted behind his cover, hoping that the blonde would avert her eyes once more. It wasn't the first time the brunette man had to hide behind his protection, but if there was even a moment where their eyes locked before the potion wore itself out, there was bound to be a terrible consequence that he simply could not afford to have occur at all, let alone in the middle of his lab. Their master would be incredibly angered by it all and his actions weren't at all hard to predict.

The woman herself, though her mind was locked behind emotions amplified beyond human levels, was still fully aware of what was pulsing through her very veins, warping her mind by the second as her nerves burned at one thousand degrees. It didn't grant her any control of how her body moved however, limbs clawing for freedom despite her greatest wishes and thoughts perverting her natural capabilities every second she stayed awake – the fact that she was still of sane mind even behind the chains that were the potion forced down her throat so it could warp her senses was the only thing that prevented her from smashing straight through the walls and rampaging without end to destroy all in twisted romance. Oh, how she loathed the man who had done this to her and the master who had authorised it, but there was little she could do like this. Even if she could catch a glimpse of the man, it would only result in destruction far greater than she could wish for.

All she could do was sit in her love induced pain.

* * *

 **And for now, we end this once more. What did you think of it this time? With these new developments, things are going to become more dangerous as both sides prepare themselves to fight. Of course, the world is not just going to pause while they fight it out, meaning that there's also the lovely case of the missing swords to come up! Look out for that!**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	13. Chapter 13 - the Lancer

**Here we go again folks! Considering what happened last time, i think we basically figured out who Lancer is, so let's see if we can brutalise the image brought forth by Type Moon! Such a beautiful lady, ethereal in posture and pleasant in personality? Sounds like someone who deserves a bit of torture, am I right? Don't worry, it's a bit more than just a potion here, hehe... anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Shuujin, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts sound so cool!_

 _Shuujin: Fighting with the power of legends? that's sort of like what I can do!_

 _Takumi: I don't think I could handle going into the hearts of corrupted people..._

 _Shuujin: Well, someone has to do it!_

 _T + S:The story begins! break the chains!_

* * *

The library was fortunately very quiet, meaning he had more time to simply lose himself to his whims. Takumi couldn't help himself as he pored through the different texts he plucked from the bookshelves, Alice watching as the brown haired man flicked from one page to another, then a different book and back again in seemingly seconds, almost feverishly searching for something.

"What are you looking for father?" the white haired Caster asked as she hopped up onto a chair, peering at the numerous books. Some were far older than the majority of the collection to be found in the library whereas others shone with the brilliance brought about by being freshly printed; while it had been a terror going through all of the paperwork required, it at least all managed to process correctly.

"Oh, just peering over different religious texts, historical records and myth books. After all, if all servants are meant to be famous people, legends or the like, then it makes sense to do my research, right?" the man reasoned, taking a couple of the books and placing them off to the side. "Of course, we still have the magic books to read about. I'm scared my progress isn't going as well as I want it too…"

"Father, this is way too much! You should be relaxing right now!" Alice pouted, arms folding as she shoved the books to one side so she could more easily latch onto Takumi's arm. "Come on and read something to me and Jack. You had a mountain of work to do, so now you have to read a mountain of books to us to compensate, right? Right!"

It wasn't as if there was really a choice in the matter, for the man was already being pulled with considerable strength to where Jack could be found silently staring at the book in what Takumi could only describe as an odd hybrid of reading and wanting to kill the book in front of her. It wasn't as if she was having any difficulty reading the basic stories after Alice's tireless teaching, but those of a higher skill level still required the utmost focus – it was merely unfortunate that her focused face was the exact same face she used when she was preparing to act as the assassin her class container had labelled her as. It was just as he opened the book of Peter Pan and the Neverland Pirates when he heard a passing pair of girls lightly whispering upon the table beside him, meaning they were talking at what was typically considered the normal talking voice.

"Did you hear about what's happened in America recently? Turns out there's been a whole bunch of pirate raids! I didn't think pirates still existed!" one claimed, her phone near stuck to her hands for the entire time she had been sitting here despite the fact that a chemistry textbook sat open before her. "They've been taking all sorts of things, anything they can get their hands on."

"Aren't they coming over to japan as well? I've been hearing that the raids having been moving in our direction; they've been going eastward the long way round just so they can raid more ships!" the other girl shivered. "If they can go to so many countries and not end up getting caught, how are we meant to keep ourselves safe?"

The news was more than a little concerning to Takumi; for such a strange event to suddenly start occurring with seemingly no one able to counter them, there had to be a reason. It was when rapid footsteps began to approach the librarian's position when he finally let his eyes move away from where they were subtly watching over the conversation, an aged face and mop of grey hair meeting him.

"I take it you heard the news?" the Doctor asked, not even waiting for an answer as he spared a glance towards the still loudly speaking girls upon the next table over. "Nevermind, you have. What are we going to do to stop the enemy from getting a hold of them?"

"What can we do?" Takumi countered, rubbing at his eyes. "They're moving across the sea, we can't just go and meet them right now."

"But, we can track their location, keep a watch on ship activity and check the various reports on the servant's crimes… If we put all that information together, we can pinpoint their exact location and then take-." The older man began to ramble, only paused when a hand reached out to grab his own wildly gesturing one.

"I can't just leave the library in order to go headhunt some pirates! You told me before, the time travel aspect of… your vehicle, is locked away unless you use a large amount of power; Besides, you've all proven yourselves to be careful and willing to stay low." The brunette pointed out, a small frown marring his face. He was fully aware of how the two girls were now looking in their direction, hence his rather abrupt censorship. "At least let them appear on Japanese shores before you try storming off for adventure, okay?"

There was a moment of silence as the merely stared into each other, Alice and Jack sat silently at the side. Sooner than Takumi expected however, the man stood down, arms lowered in clearly reluctant agreement.

"Look, I'm not saying you can't do it all and keep an eye on them if you really want to, but we need to be certain that we can actually do this before you just send us off to what could possibly be more than we can handle." The librarian reasoned, a hand reaching for his chin in contemplation. "After all, they've clearly been limiting themselves if we haven't heard of any extravagant or supernatural accomplishments – do you know their full capabilities, what their abilities are, what conditions they need to activate?"

Thank goodness he had paid extra attention to the books, otherwise he probably would've only had the 'I don't want to leave the library alone' excuse and even to him, it sounded incredibly pathetic by itself. However, the more that he spoke, the more Takumi could see his words having an actual effect. Or at least, he believed they were having an effect, for the man merely heard the fact that he could still have some sort of time-waster and let a smile blossom onto his face. Unlike the girls who were easily entertained with the usual parts of childhood and Charles-Henri who had his job to utilise his skills for good, the Doctor had yet to find a hobby he could enjoy for a prolonged amount of time save for babbling on about random stuff and playing the electric guitar; there were unfortunately no spaces for teachers and the bands all had their guitar players.

"Right then, research. Not exactly my forte, but let's roll with it." The Doctor muttered to himself as he turned around sharply, a final glance sent towards the two girls who let their cheeks turn red at being caught staring at the group before he briskly walked out, muttering to himself as a sigh escaped Takumi. Oh well, the tale of Peter Pan was waiting to be read, even if the thought of pirates now weighed far more heavily upon his mind.

* * *

"So, Lancer is ready to see the light of day is she, Archer?" a voice mused as the well-kept man bowed towards his master, smile hidden. "She's is certainly acting as if she holds the power you claim her to be able to access; what of her ability to control herself?"

"Very much like a berserker unfortunately, and a rather vicious one at that." The brown haired Archer answered, the smile upon his face faltering only slightly. "Due to the way that the potion was formed, as soon as she catches sight of a male, she feels great infatuation for them and the higher her infatuation, the more single minded she becomes. I fear her most controlled is either when she's directly facing women and thus only marginally powered up or when she's placed against someone who she truly despises, to the same effects."

With a tapping foot, the master gave a small growl; this was expected, but they always hoped that perhaps things might've decided to go in their direction. As long as Lancer was placed before purely the other servants though, it should prove to be of little issue until it came time to returning her to their base of operations.

"Your task has been fulfilled; get Caster to place a blindfold upon her or something, anything that could dampen her abilities to an acceptable level even if you need to place sealing arrays upon her." The master declared, stomping away before a rebuttal or response could even be brought up. Tirelessly writing away, the brown haired Archer made his way towards where Lancer was being stored at the current moment; it wasn't as if he wasn't used to that sort of response and time spent questioning clear directions was far better spent creating the necessary bonds and ties needed to keep the lancer in check.

When the black haired Caster was coaxed away from her craft in order to fulfil the order, she nearly dropped the small strip of ribbon she held in her hand; why they had her in such a horrific state and yet still wanted her to be further deprived of her rights, she could not tell.

Blonde hair was scattered recklessly upon the floor, splatters of blood detailing their gruesome removal along with slivers of skin. Across every inch of flesh Caster could see, burnt flesh formed incredibly intricate seals that would've no doubt needed a large amount of time to put on; how much agony a person would have to go through in order to have such callous brands upon them was something that the bat hooded girl didn't want to think about. Puffy red eyes turned up to look at her, face brutally fixed in what seemed to be a war between feverish desire and grimacing self hatred, the bruised head barely able to pick itself up out of the small pool of blood that had stained half her face red.

"Lancer… what have they done to you?" Caster breathed out, near crawling upon her knees in order to cradle the mutilated servant as she struggled to stay conscious. "How are you even still living? These things, they must-!"

"Limit my magic… until they have me in the right situation, barely… keeping me alive in order to keep …me sane." The silver haired lancer struggled to speak, a small cough peppering the floor with additional specks of blood. "Archer… is no gentleman. No matter how much he wants you… to believe otherwise."

Lancer was easily able to see the blindfold held in her fellow servants hands, the hesitance present upon Caster's face bringing the smallest of smiles onto her face. Weakly raising a hand, the black haired servant was surprised to find it being drawn towards her face.

"Please do it. I wish not to see you in a similar state for defiance." Lancer whispered, placing the blindfold upon her eyes before she fell limp, Caster tying it on as gently as it could be done without coming off too easily. Stepping away reluctantly from the burnt, sealed and broken body before her, Caster wiped away the tear that threatened to fall from her eye, pulling her blanket closer around her shoulders as she made her way out of the chamber.

"I am made to follow orders. I will not question those given to me by our master. I was told to keep watch over Lancer." A voice in the shadows declared haltingly, Caster letting out a light gasp of surprise as she turned to where Assassin stood with closed eyes. "This order… I do not like it. She does not deserve this. I understand the reasoning given but… I do not understand. It is a paradox."

How could she respond to something so blunt? No matter the orders that were given to her, the assassin had performed each and every one of her duties to the best of her abilities; to see her hesitating now was far more momentous than it should've been."

"I don't like it either Assassin… but what can we do?"

* * *

When Takumi caught a glimpse of the two odd girls that entered the library, one brown haired and another blue haired along with a green stripe with what could only be called a monster of a package wrapped in clothe upon her back, he wasn't quite sure how to take it. Decked in robes with raised hoods only to be brought down as they took to a table, they certainly made for an intimidating image as well, Takumi more than a little concerned from his position. Thankfully, he had mastered the art of eavesdropping through the act of returning books to their proper places on the shelves – sometimes, he would simply place a book in only to take it out straight away.

"What are we mean to do for our money situation? Residing in the abandoned church can only do so much if we can't feed ourselves." The blue haired girl whispered, the other girl pulling at her hair in frustration. Okay, so they were having a few issues with money and they were currently within the abandoned church, not too strange yet considering the crosses upon their necks and robes. "Our mission is in crisis here! This is what happens when you spend all of our money!"

"I can't help it, that painting was of a saint! The seller said so!" the brunette whispered loudly in response, her cheeks puffing out as she turned away with folded arms. "I thought we would be able to get Issei's help, but then he turned out to be a devil… ah, dear Lord, please forgive Issei for his sins!"

He couldn't help the snicker that escaped him as the blue haired girl rapidly slammed a hand onto her partner's mouth, the two turning their gazes onto him as he continued to place the books into their appropriate slots. Nothing apart from that small sound to break his cover and even that could be forgiven. Unfortunately however, the chestnut haired girl found herself latching onto his shoulder, turning him around with a bright smile upon her face.

"It's you! Issei told us about you, we need to talk!"

How they had managed to coerce the man into taking him into his home and feeding them, Takumi wasn't too sure; all Alice did was chuckle and Jack remained quiet whenever he brought up the question, but the two older girls were happily chomping down upon whatever was placed in front of them.

"So, are you going to explain why you were trying to find me?" Takumi prompted, the brown haired girl letting out a satisfied smile as she finished her after meal prayer. "I haven't even gotten your names yet."

"Sorry about that. My name's Irina and this is Xenovia!" the brown haired girl explained, violet eyes teeming with energy compared to the now introduced Xenovia's serious amber orbs. "We were sent out here to find you so you can join us!"

"Allow me to provide some sort of context." Xenovia sighed, running a hand through her hair in what was clearly a common occurrence. The two had such contrasting personalities even from the short amount of time Takumi had interacted with them and yet there was still that general aura of intimidation and power surrounding them – no amount of innocence was going to hide that from him. "The church has been tipped off about the fact that you are aware of the supernatural and we've heard about what you've managed to do against the family of devils known as the Phenexes."

"How do you know that?" he had believed only devils would be able to know of what happened within their territory and considering the normal human stereotypes and believes about the species, it was incredibly unlikely for a devil to also be a part of the church. A spy was also unthinkable, for if they were discovered the-

"Issei told us all about it, how you valiantly came in and saved a devil from being forcefully married!" Irina quickly interrupted, clasping her hands together as she fell into prayer once more upon the table. "Your courage is wasted upon devils. Dear Lord, please help Takumi walk upon the proper path once more! Amen!"

"What we want to ask is, will you be willing to enter talks with the church about assisting us? We have heard you're not directly connected to the devils." Xenovia continued after a cough, barely even letting the smallest amount of irritation enter her face. "It may seem strange how we ask you despite the interaction with them, but those higher believe that can be ignored considering what you seem to be capable of."

"So you want me for my power?" sure, it was a little caustic, but when a person is basically being told 'hey, you've managed to beat up someone everyone thought was strong and now we want you', it does come across as at least a _little_ bit odd, right? "If your reasoning is as weak as that, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Not at all!" Irina immediately denied, her hands slamming onto the table as she leant forward towards the brown haired man. It was at this very moment that he realised just how well-endowed these girls were which, when combined with their rather odd skin tight suits, came together to form a rather awkward moment for the librarian master. "Heaven knows how pure your heart is and your actions have only managed to prove that. Help the church and you would be able to do so much more to help others! Your talents could make the entire world a much better place!"

"There are people who are being threatened that you can help. Terrible creatures are willing to go to any level in order to harm innocents and if we had strength such as your own on our side, you would be able to help each and every one of them." Xenovia added, her stern face stoic as Takumi pondered the idea. The thought of being able to help people is one that many people would gladly agree to; being able to ease suffering is a natural desire, especially to people who have no reason to be hurt. All the same however…

"I would have to be restrained to this area unfortunately. I'm quite a fan of this library and it would be rather difficult for me to let it go." Takumi mused, leaning against the bookshelves as he scanned over the area. There were a couple reading together on one of the sofas, children messing about with Jack and Alice, a sky little waif of a teen who was letting herself get lost in a world of fantasy; it was a culmination of all of his hard work and direction that could've only been achieved through impeccable teamwork between him and the various volunteers. "Surely you can understand that feeling? When apart from a few unexpected hiccups here and there, you're placed into your perfect situation?"

"If you prefer the library environment, then I am certain that there is archive work that can be done." Xenovia suggested, the sound of deep chuckling coming from behind her having her turn with a twitching hand; no doubt that if they had been in a more private area, that hand would've done more than just twitch. With his warm illusion of flesh, Charles-Henri walked calmly towards them, the executioner letting a smile appear as he tutted.

"I should've thought the church would appreciate the idea of putting value in the material, especially considering the history the establishment holds of hoarding great amounts of wealth through their artefacts." The Saber servant remarked casually, completely aware of how Xenovia and Irina to a lesser extent bristled at the slight insult. "Do you not think there is some sort of personal investment in this place? That perhaps it is not just the books that he looks at? There has been heartfelt effort placed into this library and it clearly shows; it is not something to be so easily replaced."

"I remember coming to visit this library when I was really young, before I moved to England. It was a whole lot worse than it is now." Irina recalled with a finger to her chin in thought. "The main librarian was also a huge meanie! Said he didn't want to give out such old books to a kid!"

"And now it is clearly not the case; this quaint little library has now become such a wonderful area. Hopefully you can see why he would be so hesitant to leave." The armoured Saber concluded, his small smirk never leaving his face as he spoke. "I am surprised to see you working so diligently Takumi; usually you would be at least close to packing up once I finished my shift."

"Damn, it has gotten dark, hasn't it?" the librarian said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head as he gazed out of the window. "Sorry you two, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to start closing up soon… however, you said you were staying within the abandoned church right? The least I could do is pay for a hotel room – people of faith shouldn't have to live in a literally breaking down building."

It was with great thanks that the air followed him and Saber out of the door, only to be met by an extremely odd sound, especially to be heard out in public. Not even a moment's hesitation came before Xenovia had her hand upon the hilt of her weapon tied upon her back, a single movement being all that was needed in order to have the monster of a sword unleashed. Though Irina did not have the same sort of blade to call upon, her stance was ready as if to fight with one regardless – what was she planning on using? The heavy panting only grew stronger by the second, the voice stumbling ever closer as Takumi naturally placed himself behind Charles-Henri as he drew his sword.

"To think, one would be so brazen as to attack a master when innocents are nearby…" the executioner growled, his own sword quickly in his hands as the two church girls examined the blade with hidden interest; they had been told of the people Takumi commanded, but save for a few stories, this would be the first time anyone outside of the devils would've actually been privy to what he was capable of. Was a master the title given to people with the abilities Takumi held? Did it hold parallels to beast tamers?

The beauty that stepped out towards them was entirely worthy of the title 'most beautiful woman in the world'. Even if her skin was brutally marred by burnt flesh, even if magnificent eyes refused to open fully due to swelling, there was an aura of sheer divinity surrounding her. Armour forged of only the strongest metal shone upon her delicate figure, though tainted by dirt and blood – she surely looked as if she had been in a terrible torture session and yet she approached with all of the strength of any other servant. Tears fell down her face, yet her rapturous smile spoke of unending love; her body trembled with desire and yet she seemed almost as if she was restraining herself.

"My class… it is Lancer. Please, do not be kind to me… it will only make this more PAINFUL!" the silver haired servant cried out, a magnificent lance with a head shaped like a heart easily held within her hands. Beyond human comprehension, it began to gain in mass the longer she gazed upon the group, her panting continuing as it grew to sizes beyond control, only to be held skilfully as if it were nothing more than a normal spear. "Sigurd… to see your face is… IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouverymuch please die together with me, dear—"

"Вероятно, это грустная песня… Even still, if you so challenge my master, then I shall do all I can to stop you in your tracks!" Charles-Henri declared as both Irina and Xenovia allowed their swords to see the light. Gone was the massive wrapping around the metal, a monstrous blade formed of multiple other weapons standing tall and proud within the blue swordswoman's hands while a strange band writhed along Irina's arm to form a basic katana; how it was possible, Takumi didn't know, but it wasn't time for questioning.

" _ **It's troubling. My power is…**_

 _ **Love, hate, love, hate, love, love, lovelovelove――**_

 _ **Brynhildr…Romancia!"**_

And for the quartet facing the Lancer, it was as if the world changed.

* * *

The lance struck incredibly hard, Charles-Henri sent flying back into the wall even with his defence raised. The sheer size of it meant the force required to send it at such speeds was massive and yet the servant launched it forwards without a single issue all while muttering about her 'beloved'. Xenovia was met by a similar fate, launched into the air no matter how well she planted her feet into the ground for no human could truly match the strength of a servant without heavy consequence.

Almost dancing around the sword strikes that the Saber servant attempted, the Lancer was able to act as soon as both servants heard the slightest sound coming from the swing of the executioner's sword to smash against the metal armour that surrounded Charles-Henri, the servant buckling as he tried to back away. The attack was relentless however as the heavy lance continued to smash anything in its way. It would be a terror to try and disguise the damage being done here, for in an attempt to utter eviscerate Charles-Henri a massive gouge had been torn through the road.

"In the name of the lord, I punish you!" Irina jumped straight into the battle as well as she could, though there was to be no mercy given to her. It was only her fortunate positioning that prevented her from being skewered where she stood, the saber servant having to deal with the head of the weapon as Lancer's mutterings grew more feverish. The distraction however did manage to swerve a purpose, for with the enemy's weapon locked between both Irina and Saber, Xenovia was able to charge in at the expose back, a mighty cry let out as the swordswoman slammed her mighty blade into the servants armour.

It did little however. Despite the immense power held within the sword, it was not wielded by a person who could handle the entirety of its strength. True, it was still bale to call upon an impressive amount of power as is and against the limited form of Lancer, perhaps it would've served like a normal servant's attack. However, with the seals branded upon her unleashed, with the image of her most beloved and dearly hated in her eyes and the power of her noble phantasm at work? There was little one could do against such a powerful servant.

"We're doing nothing to her…" there was simply no way for Takumi to deny it; with a master who could do little to combat the servant and two people of the church who had shown that they were overpowered, it was down to the basic duel format – and Lancer was clearly coming up top. There was no doubt that there was something affecting her that wasn't natural, the weird symbols upon her body were clear evidence of that, but what could they do?

"Father!" turning at the sudden call, he was barely able to get a glimpse of the other servants running towards him before they were bursting into action, Jack immediately entering the fray with knives prepped, the mist already beginning to fill the area to Xenovia and Irina's concern. With Alice to protect the pair remaining, the Doctor was analysing his tools with a concerned face, turning to his master with a grim expression.

"There's a huge concentration of the love potion within her. Somehow it's fuelling her strength." The white haired man explained, Takumi looking to the cloud of poisonous fog with a frown. So this was all caused because of the weird love potion. "Fortunately for us, that means we know her powers work through love and I was able to do some research while I was running here with the other two."

"Wait, how did you know we were fighting a servant anyway? I thought you weren't able to hear much when you were working, could you tell the power or something?" Takumi questioned, only for a grin to appear on the man's face as he patted the brunette's shoulder pocket.

"Nah, a bug. Seemed more fun at the time."

They were rocked by an explosion that sent the fog flying away, flames singeing the clothes upon Takumi's body. A torrent of flame had gathered upon the enemy Lancer's body, meaning there wasn't a single person who could even approach at the moment in risk of being burnt alive like a witch at the stake. A curious strike from Alice showed that magic had little effect against the barrier surrounding the servant and as soon as the Lancer's eyes turned onto the new arrivals, the weapon in hands only grew in strength.

While the love potion caused Lancer's love for people to grow, it could only do so much to disguise who she was fighting. While it was great for people such as Xenovia and Irina, who had dedicated their loves to improving the lives of others, There was no way she could hold much love for someone like Charles-Henri or Jack. One who spent their lives killing others. One who spent their lives seeking revenge for their mistreatment. While perhaps there was noble intentions to Saber's actions, they were ultimately nothing like the heroes Lancer had come to adore, even if they held her beloved's face in her eyes. It had meant she wasn't able to call upon her full power, but then…

Then that man had arrived.

She could tell. While his origins may have been rough, this was a man who had dedicated his life to improving the world, no, the universe itself! And yet he was a creature of war, who had done several terrible things, but had all heroes not done something considered cruel to those who were far more evil? She could feel the strength flowing into her noble phantasm and though her mind _screamed_ at her to stop, to return to sanity, she lunged forward, lance in hand as she charged with a fierce war cry towards the older man.

The Doctor wouldn't have been able to dodge under normal circumstances; the most he had done in his lifetime as avoid the lasers of creatures that needed time to aim – there was a primal force, an instinct behind Lancer's actions that meant she could avoid that part, simply follow her animalistic side which left very little room for reaction. That was why, in the small moment where Takumi realised that the Lancer was staring at the rider servant, he gave a big shove to his side, letting out a cry of pain as the slice upon his back was near cauterised by the fires that surrounded the mad servant.

"Master!"

"Father!"

"Takumi!"

The group rushed over to the fallen Master, Takumi's vision blurring as the many indistinct faces began to surround him. Just as Lancer prepared to strike forth once more, a sudden blindfold upon her face prevented her sight, various seals suddenly beginning to glow rather than hold their blackened ugliness as her body stilled, growing more and more weary by the second. In the time it took for the people to realise they weren't going to be attacked again, they had turned to defend against thin air. Once they were certain that they weren't going to be attacked again, there were no more words; Takumi needed to get healed fast.

* * *

From her position above, the enemy assassin looked down upon the group with blank amber orbs, her grip upon the once rampaging servant soft as she barely let a single part of her move in the shadows. The group were powerful, but it was proven that against the skills of Lancer, they were struggling. That would prove to be an acceptable outcome for her master.

There was one there however, who interested Assassin. The master was not at all like the one who had called upon her; he was willing to sacrifice himself in a move that caused him a great injury. From what she had managed to observe when she was certain she wouldn't be detected, he also wasn't working for someone else; he didn't need to bow down to another in order to get a measly reward.

Still, there was no denying that they were weak as they were, especially against Lancer when she was affected by Archer's alchemy. A physicist he may be, but his skills in working with alchemy were beyond expected – his class had been laughed at when he first revealed his identity, but after a demonstration of his wit, battle capabilities and sheer cunning, it had been more than enough for their master to accept his support.

"How… how is she?" the voice of the Black haired Caster asked, Assassin barely letting out a flinch as she continued to watch over the body; both of them were fully aware of the fact that Assassin knew she was approaching, meaning there was no point in being suspicious. "She may not have actually been hurt in that fight but… being constantly reminded of her failures must hurt in a different way."

"I… cannot say I understand. I was born with a sole purpose and I have worked to that purpose without question." Assassin admitted and though Caster couldn't say it with any sort of confidence, she could've sworn that there was a twitch in the girl's infamous cold face. She wouldn't comment upon it however – this was a serious conversation they were dealing with. "But if someone were to constantly remind me of failed missions, then… I suppose I would be motivated to act more efficiently in the future. I assume it is like that?"

"I… guess?" Caster responded and she couldn't help herself, she let a small chuckle out as she pulled her bat hooded blanket tighter in the cold air. "It's more like… how can I say this? Did you have someone you really trusted in life? Someone you would kill the world for?"

"If my master were to order it, I shall burn everyone." The answer was snappy, not even a single deviation from her protective position as she gave her answer, a sweatdrop falling from Caster's brow.

"Well then, imagine if you lost your Master and yet everyone who you fought kept constantly bringing up the fact. Lancer had someone she loved and she lost him to her own actions and now they're abusing that…" Caster explained with narrowed eyes behind her glasses. "We should be getting back now, come on."

And so Assassin followed behind silently, lifting the comatose servant onto her shoulder for ease. Despite the fact that she would soon be given more orders, to spy upon the recovery of the enemy master when possible to be exact, she would find her mind constantly flashing back to the sight of a master sacrificing his safety for his servant rather than the other way round. It didn't make sense…

Would her own master do the same for her?

 _The human heart is a special thing._

 _It makes us hurt, it makes us sing._

 _It causes us horrible pain._

 _It makes us feel love and joy so plain._

 _But there are times where love we've sought_

 _Have turned to hatred, horrors brought_

 _And in those times, we must learn to care_

 _Remember the good things held in there._

 _So please remember dearest friend,_

 _That if your heart hurts, it's not the end._

 _The ache may linger like falling rain,_

 _But by helping each other, we may ease the pain._

 _For of course, the heart is a special thing._

 _It makes us hurt, it makes us sing._

 _So see the good emotions held in there_

 _And know that I, and us all, do care._

* * *

 **I figured, why not update my story based around parenting (Kind of, need to work on that aspect of it a bit more to be honest) on mother's day? Just ignore the fact that there is no mother (yet... We'll see). Just because I tease some servants in this chapter may not mean they're the next to appear, or maybe they will - foreshadowing is such a lovely little act, am I right? I have a full team worked out for both sides, wso anyone really is in the mix, no matter their classes!**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	14. Chapter 14 - the fallen

**Hey there folks, how are we doing? A bit more focus on the Doctor for this chapter because I know people don't like him and I'm a dick. Seriously though, this chapter was a bit rushed and with exams coming up, I didn't exactly have the time in order to tighten things up. Hopefully it didn't come out too bad though. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Lilith, Dughall wants to kill your friend! Stop him!_

 _Lilith: The fallen power of Heaven itself? Sounds super scary!_

 _Takumi: We can't bad people carry on doing what the are! Lilith, let's do this together!_

 _Lilith: You got it! Kasandra, Ursula, let's go full throttle!_

 _T + L: The story begins! Don't forget me!_

* * *

The Doctor strode back and forth before his whiteboard, every single observation he could think of hastily scrawled down upon its surface as Charles-Henri worked his magic as best he could. Alice too was working a magic all of her own, though mostly it was used to produce vines that slithered around Jack, preventing the small assassin from heading out into the early hours of the morning in order to utterly obliterate the one responsible for leaving her master in such a frightful state.

It was clear what the concoction they had found out about was meant to do in this situation, but there was clearly nothing they could do in order to prevent the effect from taking place; from the look of the servant they were dealing with, they were under heavy monitoring and control, meaning that as soon as things looked like they were about to go wrong, the Lancer would be packed away like a rabid animal. They couldn't stop the ingestion of the love inducing potion, for it was clearly done beforehand and it was _not_ a fun time trying to cause someone to involuntarily vomit.

What wasn't helping him think was the sounds of awe that came from open particular brunette, her companion holding a much more restrained reaction to the majesty that was the Tardis. Sure, they didn't know all that the trusty girl was capable of, but the sheer fact that the console room managed to fit within the exterior was enough to make anyone gasp. Didn't mean it wasn't incredibly annoying when he was trying to focus.

"Who was that woman? You didn't even hesitate when she attacked, you were expecting that something like this could possibly happen." Xenovia questioned to the man, a roll of his eyes having his attention drawn away from his ramblings. This is what happens when you bring in people you weren't expecting to have – they start asking questions and once they know enough, they start acting stupidly.

"Of course we expected something to happen. Something always happens, otherwise life gets boring." The man quipped, though his geniality quickly faded away when his eyes glimpsed the whiteboard as he turned. "What we didn't expect was for them to attack when there were innocents about. Usually people wait until you're alone before they get intimate; this time, they wanted to play so much they didn't care who saw. Chin up, at least you didn't die. That's always a good thing, eh?"

"Takumi almost did though." Everyone was thinking it, but Irina was the only one willing to actually speak it out, a silence filling the air until the sound of a door opening revealed Saber, his slightly blood covered coat acting as a tapestry of his struggles as Takumi hopped through behind him. "Ah! You're alive!"

"It was a close one. Even with Saber's work, you don't immediately recover from a wound like that in a few day." The brunette groaned out, taking a seat upon the stairs. The attack would definitely leave a scar, one so large that it would never be easily hidden. It was a permanent reminder that this was a serious occasion; at any moment, they could attack, regardless of whether there were people to see or not. "I think… maybe I will take you up on your offer you two. Looks like I need any help I can get."

The brunette, lifting himself off the stairs with a light groan, had just about made it to the actual console in an attempt to reach the door before a massive explosion rocked the entire area, sending both the man and the others down to the ground. Repeatedly, the Tardis trembled and shook,Takumi grunted as he made his way over to the door and cracked it open the slightest amount, a terrifying sight outside causing him to gasp.

* * *

"Such a pitiful shield... do you really believe this is enough to stop me?" So far, Kokabiel had little to be impressed by. While the little informant had told him that the group of pests he was assaulting now would prove to be a challenge, all that had come of this was a simple barrage of their vessel; coming out here had been a waste. "Valper, finish them off – they're no threat at all. Hopefully with them dead, the Satans' sisters shall come to their deaths."

"Don't exactly want to take much more than this." The Doctor muttered, flicking and messing with the various switches before him. "Too much damage and I'm going to have to activate siege mode and then things get really awkward. Considering the energy increase coming from that weird sword the man's holding, someone should probably do something."

"Alice, Jack, Charles-Henri!" As Valper Galilei raised his sword, the power of four different pieces of Excalibur combined to form one monstrous creation, he was forced to divert that energy to stopping the blade that threatened to slice him and probably the people behind him in half. Such strength in a normal human seemed ridiculous; through his time working with the fallen leader, Valper had managed to get a good feel for the energies of different supernatural beings.

"Finally, a good chance to test out the fused Excalibur..." Valper sighed, the mad priest accelerating to speeds the man had no place achieving. "It's a shame that Freed is dead – if there was anything the idiot was useful for, it was fighting."

Charles-Henri couldn't help the low growl that escaped his throat as he was forced into a defence. The tale of King Arthur was one known around the globe and no speaker ever spoke of his legendary sword being weak. The Saber could only be glad that the sword in the mad priest's hands didn't like up to the strength of a noble phantasm; that would've been an unneeded pain.

All of a sudden however, the weapon he had been defending himself against had suddenly disappeared into thin air – no, it was still perfectly there as the servant could feel from the strike that smashed against his shoulder, but now it was invisible.

"My, what an interesting weapon... Fused Excalibur did you say?" the Saber chuckled out, a visible power gathering around him as the priest let out a growl. In a second, Charles-Henri was surrounded by images of Valper, no doubt another trick granted to him by his sword rather than his own skill. "Still, a weapon does not make a man immortal; I can almost feel the sin oozing off you. What foul things have you done in order to obtain make an executioner like myself almost happy to see you dead?"

"I need not answer to you! Bow down!" each copy struck forward, two more taking the place of those the Saber could actually strike. There was less power to them however, the occasional stronger slice most likely belonging to the original, meaning that if he could just time this correctly...

An elbow to the stomach had the mad priest coughing up blood, a second hit to the back having the man on the ground and his weapon ripped from his grasp to Valper's shock. The Excalibur by themselves were incredibly powerful artefacts, to utilise their powers together, even with three pieces still missing, was meant to create an unparalleled power. How could he be beaten by a mere man!?

"Priests, those who hold the blessing of God and spread his word so the world may become enlightened... Your job is not to fight no matter what you may hold. Be glad, for there are worst punishments I might've given you." As soon as Rias' peerage heard the news that the fallen angels Kokabjel, they immediately rushed over to the scene of the attack, Kiba's eyes widening at the sight of the holy sword held by the priest. Watching as Charles-Henri plucked it out of his opponent's hands as if it was nothing more than a toy, the weapon sitting useless on the ground simply asking to be destroyed... the only reason he didn't was because of the delicate hand before his chest.

"Valper Galilei, for your involvement in the holy sword project and countless other crimes, you are found guilty." Xenovia growled as she stalked out of the Tardis into the open air, drawing her own Excalibur as Valper tried to scramble to his feet. A heavy boot upon his back meant that all he could do was flounder like a mad man however, The Servant giving a slow shake of the head as the blue haired exorcist raised her weapon. "You don't believe this man should have his life taken? He has taken thousands through his actions."

"My apologies, but I believe there is one here who wishes to have some last words with the Priest." Kiba, as soon as the boy heard of how Valper played a part in the holy sword project, he was quite literally trembling with anger, careful steps taking him cover and closer to the man as Takumi moved towards where Irina was watching the outside view through the Tardis' monitor.

"What's the holy sword project?" the master asked, a slight shivering running down the usually energetic girl's back.

"It was a horrifically treated experiment designed in order to find more people who would be able to wield and withstand the power of a holy sword. They took in all sorts of children and when they proved to be unsuited... they were all slaughtered save for a single escapee." Irina recalled, the implication clear. Kiba held out his hand, a magical circle bringing forth a sword that was quick raised into the sky with growing anger. This was it, this was the moment he would finally get his revenge. To the sound of an Assassin and Caster holding back a horde of fallen angels alongside the other devils, the blond knight's eyes became red and all of his strength went to swi-!

 _Sleep, dear, sleep,_  
 _Thy papa guards the sheep;_  
 _Thy mama shakes the dreamland tree_  
 _And from it fall sweet dreams for thee,_  
 _Sleep, dear, sleep._  
 _Sleep, dear, sleep,_

The sound of a hundred voices coming together in a haunting lullaby filling the air, Kokabiel quirkiness an eyebrow from where he was near lounging in the sky; so far, his fellow fallen had proved admirable in keeping the Satans' siblings and their target occupied and now he was merely watching the fate of someone who had already achieved his purpose. The voices however meant so much more to Kiba, his grip wavering as lights filled the air to take on the form of numerous people. Takumi couldn't help but be soothed by their presence, the collective souls practically emanating peace and tranquility.

"Are they...?"

"That nursery rhyme... we sung it to each other when we were scared at night."

 _Our cottage vale is deep;_  
 _The little lamb is on the green,_  
 _With woolly fleece so soft and clean,_  
 _Sleep, dear, sleep._  
 _Sleep, dear, sleep,_  
 _Down where the woodbines creep;_  
 _Be always like the lamb so mild,_  
 _A kind and sweet and gentle child,_

"Sleep, dear, sleep…" it was an unspoken message for the blond knight, that much was clear to Takumi as he watched the entire event from the safety of the Tardis. Looking to each of the spirits surrounding him with familiarity and love, Kiba stepped back with a hand held out in invitation to a slightly surprised Xenovia. "As much as I want to obliterate this man, he should be dealt with properly. I've been mindlessly chasing revenge ever since the holy sword project threw us away, but they don't want me to live like that…" and thus, with a firm swing of Excalibur Destruction, Valper Galilei lost his head and knew no more.

"What a cliché story, a man seeks revenge only to learn at the last minute that 'revenge is wrong'. Come child, you could've at least killed the man himself." Kokabiel muttered, rising from his self-erected seat to hold up a single hand. "Unfortunately, now it is time for you to meet your end. You've done well enough against my men, but with my power, you are nothing!"

There was a brief moment of awed silence as the sky positively filled to the brim with pure tainted holy light, each primed to vaporise the devils and people held underneath its range. With Rias' peerage gathered together trying to find a way to defend themselves, one by one, the spears began to shoot down to the ground. Despite the trust they held in each other, there were few who held confidence in Rias and Akeno's shield; while the two were doubtless skilled devils, they were up against a Fallen Angel leader wielding the one element they were weak against.

"There has to be something we can do!" Takumi called out to the Dcotor, who was merely leaning against the console. The man had a deep look of contemplation upon his face, eyes flickering from Takumi's still recovering figure and the console before careful words escaped him.

"I could possibly end this quickly… we're going to have to keep him distracted however…" the pointed look the grey haired man gave Takumi had him thinking deeply, Irina lost between them as the brunette exorcist simply moved her eyes back and forth between the two.

"What kind of distraction would you need?"

"Nothing too specific, just enough to make sure that all of those spears don't simultaneously attack the Tardis. Girl's pretty strong, but she's not a big fan of piercings. The real issue would be the power drain."

"From the looks of things, the man's not going to stop his production. We'll need to act quickly."

"Doing this sort of thing is a big drain – perhaps you didn't notice it before because of the adrenaline, but I'm going to need a lot of power from you. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm willing to take the risk. Just make sure you get me a lemonade afterwards."

"Making jokes, that's a good sign! Making bad jokes, that's a bad sign. Call back… Jack and Charles-Henri, get Alice to bolster their barrier. That should give them enough power to keep the attention."

"What are you talking about!?" Irina finally burst, a pout forming upon her face as the girl folded her arms with a huff. It didn't improve much when the Doctor merely gave a knowing smile.

"Spoilers. Oh, might as well get Alice to make it as flash as possible. Gets the attention better."

"Is all you can do cower!? I would've expected more of a fight from the sister of a Satan!" Kokabiel couldn't help the small scoff that escaped him, an elaborate second shield of glowing gold forming itself around Akeno and Rias just ass the devils' shield was about to shatter into useless pieces. It was clearly something they themselves didn't expect from the looks on their faces, but all it served was to drag out their inevitable fates. The two little girls were surprisingly powerful for their stature, the smile upon the girl who was casting the shield's face particularly mocking him for his underestimation. He would show them!

Irina was quick to catch Takumi when the man suddenly fell to one knee, his breath much harder as the Doctor immediately began moving when the invisible servants revealed themselves once they managed to get back into the Tardis. Though it wasn't exactly clear at first, a new energy flowed through the Doctor, a pull of a lever having the centre column move up and down, the circles above rotating and lights flashing around them as with a rhythmic sound, the vessel disappeared from sight.

That made Kokabiel let out a louder curse; the idiotic phone box had shown no signs of being able to even move, let alone disappear, the pressure upon the devils disappearing as the spears were instead sent erratically around, a desperate search to prevent any sneak attack from landing upon him. It was far worse work trying to prevent so much damage from occurring, Alice letting out a small pout. They weren't letting her take part in the fun part! A loud voice filling the air gave the angered fallen pause, several mixing into one like the spirits that surrounded Kiba.

" _ **We are known by many names and many faces,**_

 _ **Moving beyond the boundaries of time and space.**_

 _ **A fool, a hero, an idiot, a mastermind,**_

 _ **Every single one is me, yet none.**_

 _ **All will come together regardless.**_

 _ **Time And Relative Dimensions In Space!"**_

And for Kokabiel, the world changed.

* * *

Alice, however upset she was that she was simply left to stand Beneath a shield while her master and the other servants did their surprise attack, couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at the collective gasps of surprise that filled the air. Very quickly, one Tardis appeared spinning in the air, quickly followed by another, and then another and another until fourteen police boxeswere positioned around the fallen angels, beams of light forming between them until a veritable cage formed around Kokabiel and his remaining lackeys. Ha, the others weren't going to be able to see how amazed they all were all the her father!

Throwing a light spear, Kokabiel was surprised to find that it had little effect, those with him starting to lose their nerve at the sight of their leader failing to make any sort of debt, even with an increasing amount of power held behind his strikes. Adding their own spears did little however, the anger welling within the leader until the casual visage he held simply snapped.

"You would place one of the Grigori in a cage!? Treat me like some sort of rodent!?" the man screamed out, six wings flaring as a massive explosion rocked the barrier formed around the group. "the energy required to do this is immense, the moment it falls, your deaths will be drawn out!"

" _Oh, it's a massive amount of energy needed to power this, far more than a single person could channel. Especially considering what we plan to do."_ The Doctor casually remarked in response, a cheeky tone to his voice transmitting through his speaker. _"Well, it is unless you go through some calculations in order to fine tune the process, but that would require centuries of work."_

" _Also needs a bit more than just one Tardis! Well, I say one Tardis, but if you're like me, then you really now how to make the most of what you've got!"_ a second voice interrupted through their own speaker; it wasn't one of those who had entered with the servant however, far more whimsically and excited.

" _But unfortunately for you, we've got a couple things that normally people don't."_ The next spoke, a slight bit calmer, but no less excited. After the third voice, it didn't take long for people to start realising what was happening, a grin appearing on Takumi's face as he took in the whole event.

" _We've had several lifetimes in order to get all of the calculations completed."_

" _We have several Tardises to do the hard work..."_

" _And we have several Doctors in order to make this happen!"_

Kokabiel wasn't able to get a glimpse of the various figures near dancing about wildly different consoles situated in wildly different rooms, a person plucked from various sources points of their time line by themselves in order to achieve one of the greatest feats a single man would ever accomplish. A psychic message sent back through time would have the Doctor preparing ever since his first face, energy gathered and calculations put to the test for literal centuries purely for this moment. In a flash, the fallen angels existed in Kuoh no more – well, not exactly.

"That section of air holding the fallen angels is now locked in a timeloop." The Doctor explained as the other Tardises returned to their own time, the experiences here quick to leave their mind lest they cause a time paradox. "Now, they're stuck in their own dimension, living the same second over and over for the rest of their lives. Suffice to say, we won't be seeing them any time soon."

Irina was left just as speechless as the others outside of the Tardis, looking to the average looking man before her in something akin to an odd mix of admiration and slight fear. They had been sent by the church in order to deal with the theft of holy swords; they knew they were going to deal with an incredibly strong being with their beliefs being proven with the arrival of Kokabiel in the middle. The man before them however… he had called upon numerous versions of his own vehicle that was already a mystery to behold and just placed Kokabiel as well as those with him into a time loop, if she was to believe his words. How were you meant to react when that sort of thing happens to you?

"I'm surprised to find exorcists operating in devil territory. Tell me, what are you doing here?" Irina was quick to run out when she heard the slight threat beneath Rias' words, the devil having turned to Xenovia as Alice happily skipped her way past into Takumi's grasp.

"I suppose now that our mission is complete, we have no reason to hold back. We intended to retrieve the stolen holy swords from Kokabiel and tell you that you were to remain out of the investigations." The blue haired exorcist explained, hefting the discarded fused Excalibur. "While we did not expect to return the Excalibur pieces as a fused single, we'll still be taking them back to the church."

"You'd think we would interfere? You aren't possibly insinuating that we might've sided with the fallen angels in a situation like this?" the devil responded, her smile becoming tighter. Rather than gracing her with an answer that might've caused a conflict neither side really wanted, Xenovia merely gave a nod to Irina who in turn called out towards where Takumi was coming out of the doors.

"Right! Now that the job is complete, we just have to go back to the Vatican!" the female brunette cheerfully declared, though the bright light that filled the air had that enthusiasm curtailed slightly. A hiss escaped each of the devils no matter how much they tried to restrain it, the holy light slowly dimming until a magnificent figure was revealed within.

"My apologies devils, but it appears no matter how much I try, I never seem to be able to fully restrain myself like my bretheren."

Takumi's steps became weaker, his surprise overpowering his ability to properly think at the moment. The person before him was an absolute masterpiece in a human form, a beautiful blonde dressed delicately in white that hugged her bountiful figure, a lily sitting upon the golden strands and a heavenly halo floating above her. Maybe calling it a human form was too insulting, no human could ever hope to match up to the goddess before him…

Wait, what was going on?

The woman gave a giggle at the reaction, Irina and Xenovia having already fallen to one knee with bowed heads she stepped forward, crystal eyes of blue looking deeply into Takumi's soul. It was a struggle to keep his blush under control, this was clearly a person of importance and yet he was acting like a child before his first crush! Control yourself Takumi, control yourself!

"Do not worry, Takumi Yuu; you are not the first to react as such to my appearance." The woman quipped with a giggle, only serving to make the librarian blush even harder in her presence. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Gabriel, one of the Seraph. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"What are one of the Seraph doing here?" there was a polite tone to Rias' voice, but the girl was clearly on edge just like the rest of their peerage. Having exorcists appear was one thing, to have quite literally one of the most powerful angels the heavens held simply teleport in? There was a chance for them all to be obliterate if the woman felt even the slight bit embarrassed. This was the messenger of God, the one who should herald the Lord's return. "It's rare to see any angel come down to the earth nowadays, least of all one of the most powerful.

"I thank you for your compliments! I simply couldn't contain myself when I first got news of Takumi here being willing to join us, I just had to meet him." The Archangel replied with a bright smile, said brunette rubbing the back of his head with a slight chuckle of embarrassment.

"Well, I'm clearly in danger by myself, and I don't want anyone to have to hurt themselves simply because of me." Takumi answered, gripping Alice's hand harder for a moment and receiving a dazzling smile from the Caster in return. "All I ask is, if you want me to join your side… give me the power to disobey and say no to orders if I or those close to me don't want to do them."

He knew it was a reckless move and his eyes shut the second he finished speaking. Any ordinary person wouldn't ever dream of making such a request if a literal angel came down from the heavens and spoke of how excited they were to have you be joining them (When he said it like that, Takumi mused, it sounded like he had died).

The difference was, Takumi had read the bible before, heard the holy stories and even told them to the children that came to the library himself – there were times where holy figures that were believed to be all righteous had done terrible things and had it simply explained of as God's will. Besides, the devils (or at least, the majority of those Takumi had dealt with) had proven themselves to be far different to how they were typically portrayed by media throughout the ages, so there was nothing to say that the church was any different. Not to say that an angel would be the worst of people, but they couldn't always be perfect and make mistakes.

Rather than the harsh reaction he was expecting, the fist that tapped against his forehead was actually quite light, the devils that were holding their breath simultaneously letting out a sigh. Letting his eyes flutter open, Takumi was met by the sight of Gabriel silently giggling.

"We are no tyrants, those who work with us are perfectly able to abstain from doing work if it disturbs you and will explain ourselves if you don't understand actions." It was at this moment where the woman suddenly became a slight bit more melancholy, her eyes falling for a brief moment. "Those in control have been pushed to the limits, we will make mistakes like any other. I know my brother Michael grieves heavily for those who were lost in the holy sword project."

The woman clearly aimed that last statement towards Kiba, a slight tremor rocking his body as he spoke up, a surprisingly difficult task when one was speaking to an Archangel.

"Why… Why didn't you help us…?"

"We had left far too much power in the hands of Valper Galilei, a move that would prove to be our undoing." Gabriel answered, tears falling from her eyes as Takumi stifled his noise of surprise; he certainly expected the woman to be upset, but this was clearly something that weighed heavily on her even to this day… if the sizes of those children was an indication of their ages, this must've occurred to those barely even above the age of five reaching all the way to late teenagers. "By the time we knew what that vile man had been doing, he had already murdered you all! I'm so glad you managed to find a new chance at life, even if it has to be with the devils."

"My lady, we are honoured by your presence." Xenovia declared, presenting the fused Excalibur to the Seraph with a reverent aura, just the same as Irina. "We were unprepared to be faced with a number of the Excaliburs fused, though we were eventually able to retrieve the fused piece and the head of Valper Galilei. Unfortunately, Kokabiel has been already sealed."

"Worry not about Kokabiel. When the Grigori learn of what happens here, I'm sure they will not object to us keeping hold of him." The Archangel replied with what seemed to Takumi as a cheeky grin, but that simply wasn't possible – a literal embodiment of holiness and innocence would not stoop so low as to be cheeky of all things. "Now, it is time for me to return. Irina, Xenovia, and Takumi: for you however, this will be your first visit to heaven, will it not?"

Though Irina and Xenovia were quick to fall to their knees, endless words of praise and thanks given, Takumi couldn't help but remain silent, the thought constantly repeating itself within his head. He was going to be brought to heaven? A normal was just going to be casually brought into the literal paradise of the Christian faith?

"I don't mean to be rude but… why heaven? I thought the swords were going to be returned to the Vatican?" the librarian pointed out, the archangel clapping her hands together in excitement for a response.

"We normally would have you remain at the Vatican to be trained, but I suppose we find ourselves in a rather special situation." Gabriel happily explained, looking all the part of a giddy child, bouncing from one foot to the other. "There's another that we have found, another with extremely extraordinary skills and she spoke of such horrible things… amazing things as well, but such terrors. Then, she told us of something that we believe would correlate rather well with what you've shown off so far and decided, 'why don't they meet? They would be wonderful for each other!' and so, we were hoping you would come meet with Michael and her!"

Now that had the Master on his toes, looking to his gathered servants with a slight hint of confusion to his eye. So far, there had been no knowledge of the servants or the Holy Grail war by the supernatural and yet now there was one apparently residing in heaven – clearly religious in some form, but would they be hostile? Potentially.

"I suppose if there was anyone here who would surpass my expectations, it would be you." Rias sighed, though a grin removed any sort of malice the words might've had. "Takumi Yuu, the librarian of Kuoh's library who suddenly earned the affection of two young girls with unimaginable power, then without warning found others joining his side. We couldn't hide you from the others forever."

"I work in a public sector, it would be strange for me if only certain people were allowed to see me." It was her attempt at reassurance, making the situation light when things seemed to be incredibly outlandish. Takumi definitely wasn't feeling as at odds with the idea of visiting heaven as before, part of him even wanting to believe that maybe it wouldn't be so splendid as all the texts spoke of heaven being – not exactly bad, but rather… calm.

"Please, grab my hand and then we can be off. Oh, I'm so excited to introduce you to her!" Gabriel prompted, Takumi making sure that Alice and Jack were holding tight before taking the delicately offered hand. The light that surrounded them wasn't like the other energies they had felt before, most because they had been used for combat. This was welcoming, warm, as if you were being greeted into a personal paradise, quite well suited considering the fact that they pretty much were.

* * *

Much like he had expected, the skies shone with an unearthly beauty, elegant buildings stretching out beyond the horizon as if they had never been touched by dirt in their lives. Ever figure they passed was decked out in the finest clothes Takumi could imagine; they made a stark contrast as they walked down the pristine roads, not a single person seeing them and not immediately falling to their knees in respect. If they weren't with what essentially classed as one of Heaven's leaders, Takumi might've even felt flattered. Now he just felt awkward.

Soon however, things were far more awkward as the group were led up to a much more dramatic looking building, the normal figures slowly giving way to much more heavily armoured guards, weapons clutched tightly in hand as the stood silently. Not a single second of movement was given even to Gabriel as they passed through the doors, a fair haired man dressed similarly to Gabriel smiling upon their arrival.

"It is good to see you well sister. Irina Shido, Xenovia Quarta: Though given an impossible job, you've come out triumphant and Takumi Yuu, the man who was able to make that all happen." The man greeted with held out arms, Takumi needing no introduction to understand the power this man held. Compared to Gabriel's warm aura, the man held a subtle commanding power to his stature – he was no taller or muscular than any other normal person and yet the librarian was hesitant to even think of a lie.

"I haven't exactly done much, I'm just a normal librarian surrounded by superheroes." The brunette replied, hugging Alice and Jack closer to him, to their joy. No matter if it be in Heaven or on Earth, the joys of being praised by their master was still the same. "It's not as if I can command them like Pokémon after all."

"And yet they still listen to your commands, do they not?" Michael answered, a knowing smile gracing his face. "No offence meant, but it is extraordinary to see such powerful figures bow down to such an average person and yet they follow you without question and with such flawless teamwork even with some at such a tender age. The fact that through your work, you were able to cull an entire horde of rogue fallen angels and Kokabiel of the Grigori speak sof your abilities, your joint abilities."

"My lord, your praise honours us needlessly, we did little to contribute to the fight." it must've burned Xenovia to admit they did little to assist in the mission they had originally been sent out on, two powerful exorcists that had been granted the permission to wield pieces of Excalibur simply sitting on the side-lines as the person they were sent to meet did everything by himself.

"…Are these not the Excaliburs you two were tasked to collect before me, albeit in a fused form?" the Michael countered, his voice gentle as he lifted Xenovia's bowing head. "It shall be known that Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou assisted in the defeat of a six winged fallen angel and brought back the Excalibur pieces when they were stolen, be proud of what you have managed to achieve, no matter if you must ask another to help you."

"Michael!" Gabriel called out as she grabbed her brother's arm, such an ungraceful movement clashing terribly with their regal appearances so much that Takumi couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him, the same as Jack, Alice and even Irina.

"Right, right, I suppose I should introduce our new guest to you." Michael conceded with a smile, turning to the door adjacent. "Please, enter and meet Takumi. He is the one who wields powers similar to the ones you described."

The blonde who walked in was clad in shimmering armour of silver over blue, a holy cross hanging from her neck. While she was no angel considering her different clothes and lack of halo, she as still just as beautiful as any other within the realm, a pleasant smile upon her face as she bowed her head to Takumi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takumi Yuu. Tell me, what does the title of Lancer mean to you?"

* * *

 **And let's put that to pause! Yes, we're introducing a Lancer to the team and you can probably guess who its is, because i am terrible at keeping identities a secret save for like, two people of this story so far. Never mind. Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? Please tell me, I'm always looking for ways to improve myself.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	15. Chapter 15 - the destruction

**Hey there folks. This is what happens when you put me on a train for four hours with nothing else to do apart from write and prepare for a summer school. I will admit, the rhyme is way too obvious for this chapter, so I decided to just stick it at the front - hooray for old fashioned sexism! Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: What horrors hide in the shadows? It seems like... Woah, what is that!?_

 _Zelda: A precious possession shall lose its life... tell me, what is it?_

 _Takumi: With a warning like that, it could be anything. But I have other things to deal with right now!_

 _Zelda: We shall act as normal, then strike when they reveal themselves!_

 _T + Z: The story begins! The hero has come!_

* * *

 _With true intent she told her tale_

 _The king trusted her word_

 _And put her in change of his men_

 _Who thought this was absurd_

 _She proved her skill far outweighed_

 _What was seen in men_

 _Mind,body, heart, and soul she gave_

 _To her only love then_

 _The love she held for her country_

 _Has never since been met_

 _Because her fight was always strong_

 _She was their only threat_

 _Only she could lead victory_

 _Many defeats came to them_

 _When she would lead the battle cry_

 _They sought the one true gem_

So heaven had a heroic spirit on their side. It made sense after all; surely a religious figure being brought back from the afterlife would be a momentous occasion, but from the looks on Gabriel and Michael's eyes, they didn't seem to hold any of the anticipation Takumi would've associated with them being right next to a hero of old. Were the important figures in heaven simply that relaxed about the idea, or did they not know who it was they were standing by.

"A lancer, the heroic spirit of the spear…" Takumi recited, bringing a smile to the armoured blonde's eyes. There was something special to her demeanour, just like Gabriel; her very aura seemed to hold a relaxing feel to it, calming his very soul yet it lacked the natural apprehension and ethereal beauty that the angel had. Not that she wasn't beautiful in her own right, quite the opposite in fact.

"It's nice to see you recognise the name, although I suppose considering the other servants beside you, I should've expected that." The Lancer giggled. "I was never expecting a master to be able to withstand the power of multiple servants at once without an artificial assistance of sorts – I wonder, how special are you?"

Now that brought a blush to Takumi's cheeks, the librarian rubbing the back of his head as Gabriel let out a delighted sound.

"Oh, it's nice to see you two getting along so well!" the archangel declared, clapping her hands together. "I mean, I don't really understand what you mean by a lancer, but I can already feel a bond forming between you!"

Takumi's initial reaction was to believe the woman was referring to the metaphorical bond known as friendship, but the slightest searing sensation upon his hand was quick to reveal that no, not only was there _that_ sort of bond, but Lancer had already forged the contract between a servant and a master. He didn't even get a chance to think about that, and really, neither did she. Apparently, his confusion was evident upon his face, for the lancer let her smile fall slightly.

"My apologies for my hurry, but you are the only Master I have come across since my summoning. While I have managed to withstand returning to the throne of heroes much longer than I expected considering I'm not in my usual class container, it was in my interest to choose my master quickly." Lancer remarked, a blush taking over her cheeks as she turned away. "Um, I hope you don't mind?"

"Well, this is interesting, interesting indeed." Ah, Takumi had almost forgotten he was in the presence of Michael, one of the important people in heaven. If the man didn't have such a smile upon his face, perhaps his fate at the moment might've been much different, but instead, the leader was content with simply staring at Takumi, his look almost peering into his soul. "So, that is how you forge contracts between you and those who fight for you, right? Pardon my rudeness for a moment, but I had been led to believe that it was you that initiated the bond that bound them to you."

"Father wouldn't do that, father just stumbles into these situations from time to time!" Alice was more than happy to explain with a bright smile, Takumi embarrassment skyrocketing in that single moment, especially with how Michael joined in her laughter. Well, this wasn't exactly how you made a good first impression to a new servant, was it?

"I hope I haven't caused you too much embarrassment Takumi. I may call you Takumi?" well, eh wasn't exactly going to deny one of Heaven's leaders that simple request. "Wonderful. Yes, it truly is a pleasure to have you on our side. I fear that I must quickly put the three of you back to work and I suppose now that you've forged this bond, you wish to join as well, Miss Lancer?"

"Please, just Lancer. It is a title after all, not my real name." Lancer put forth, but there was a certain energy to her words; she was… content, for lack of better explanation, Takumi could simply feel it. whereas before, the blonde servant had been polite and radiate friendliness, now she seemed to be the epitome of happiness; did having a master really make that much of a difference to her. "But yes, I would love to be of use to you Lord Michael."

"Wonderful! You see, there is bound to be a meeting between us and the Grigori now that you have… dealt, with Kokabiel." Michael explained. It made sense after all, he was one of the most powerful fallen angels, to have defeated him and put him into what was essentially an inescapable prison was no easy feat. That was simply the level of power that Noble Phantasms worked at. "However, this is to be no mere bargaining meeting. We have invited the leaders of the devils and we shall be holding a peace treaty instead."

A peace treaty? Between devils, fallen angels and angels? Now that didn't seem like something that would've ever happened in the entirety of history or the future. Then again, quite a lot of the things the librarian had been made witness too wasn't exactly what he considered 'likely' for the average person.

"We have been fighting for an incredible amount of time; it has taken so many away from all of us purely because of blind hatred. As times move on, so must we, the devils and fallen angels we have hated for so long are not all the malicious creatures that we have fought against for many millennia." Michael spoke his voice soft and melancholic despite the fact that he was essentially talking about demons and those who betrayed their side for sin. "Thus, we shall ask for peace. There will be those who will not wish for such a thing, but it is a necessity at this point for our joint survival. Of course, it won't occur immediately. Please, feel free to have an exploration around heaven. I'm certain that this will be something for you to talk about with your peers when you return. Gabriel, will you come with me for a moment?"

That was an understatement for Irina and Xenovia. To be brought into heaven as a guest rather than the more… typical manner was an incredible honour, to be allowed free reign was on another level. Immediately, the two church girls were on their knees profusely thanking the heavenly being and they were quickly joined by both Lancer and Takumi, even if the brunette's thanks weren't as fervent. Of course, there was only one of the group that had actually had a chance to see heaven before, meaning Lancer was quick to take lead of the group.

"To think I would find myself wandering heaven, even after all I have done in my life… truly, the world works in strange and mysterious ways." Charles-Henri remarked with a low chuckle. Of course he would feel a little out of place, he had dedicated his life to bringing the end to thousands of lives during the French revolution; who in the world would ever think they would be going to heaven with that sort of weight on their back?

"But you were also a doctor, weren't you?" Takumi pointed out. "You purposely dedicated part of your life to researching how to make the procedure the least painful process possible, you were responsible for the punishment of many criminals and still chose to make them suffer as little as possible. You created medicines to heal those that were innocent and knew the fear and regrets of those that fell by your blade when the public hungered for their blood. Perhaps if you had revelled in the art of killing, then you would be banned from ever going anywhere near heaven's gates, but you were a man forced to do what would keep the family fed and made the process less painful. If there are any who deserve to be here, then your bravery and dedication to an art that you held no happiness for has earnt you a place."

"I'm surprised you know so much about me, I speak little about my personal life." The Saber chuckled out after a few moment's silence, a metallic hand rising to rest upon the librarian's shoulder. "Have you been reading up upon me?"

"There have been some publications that speak about you and there are certain parts known about your diary." Takumi answered with a slight cough. It never was easy to admit that you read part of someone's journal to the writer's face, even if they had been dead for many years. All the brunette got in return was a nod, a new brightness present in the swordsman steps even if it wasn't too noticeable.

"Everything's so shiny!" Alice muttered as they walked along, Jack merely entranced into silence at the sight. Delicate statues sat in the squares depicting various angels, one that was quite clearly Gabriel sitting proudly near the entrance alongside what were probably other archangels. It was reasonable for gold and white, colours of prosperity and good fortune to be the colours of heaven, right? Eventually, their group found themselves seated at a quaint little café, the girl behind the counter energetically greeting them as she took their orders. One thing in particular seemed to bug Takumi though, something that was quickly picked upon by a servant.

"Is something disturbing you Master?" Lancer enquired and the new voice referring to him as master meant Takumi needed a couple of seconds to fully compute the question. Said man mere pointed towards the cheerful redhead preparing a variety of drinks with a plucky tune upon her lips, Irina and Xenovia both turning to observe the angel.

"I suppose there isn't any reason for me to have not expected anyone like this here, but to see someone so young…" she couldn't have been beyond the age of eight or nine, yet here she was with a bright halo upon her head and wings that bobbed with her movements. "Tell me, do angels reproduce, seeing as sex is looked upon as a sin?"

"No, not in the manner that humans do from what I've learnt." Lancer answered, her speech quiet as Irina and Xenovia bowed their heads; the hint was clear. To die so soon was never something a person truly looked forward to save for the most dire of circumstances, yet here they were faced with a child that had met such a sad fate. "But to become an angel, you must be pure of heart, you must be a true symbol of purity and faith. The fact that she's here rather than in one of the other levels shows that she really is one of the most innocent people you can come across. Take faith in that."

If the girl had caught any of their conversation, she didn't let it show on her face as she doled out their drinks with delight, Takumi looking down upon the brown liquid before him. Well, it certainly looked like a good coffee, and from the first taste… oh dear lord. He had been expecting just a normal coffee, perhaps something a little bit worse considering the age of the person making it, but this was absolutely phenomenal! The librarian tossed aside any sort of restraint as he partook in the beverage, a deep sigh of approval escaping him before he was calling over for a second round, only realising his mistake when he put his lips to the new cup of coffee.

"Um, how are we paying for all of this? Do we just use whatever money we have on us?" the brunette muttered, Irina nearly choking upon her drink when the man posed his question.

"Ah, I don't have anything on me, we should've gotten our pay for this mission first!" the exorcist cried, her head falling to the table as Xenovia rolled her eyes. This was what she deserved for getting herself get partnered with such a dramatic and impulsive girl.

"Don't worry about it, after the work you've done." Lancer reassured, the blonde looking to their server as the girl gave a quick nod. "Gabriel has been around and asked that for the duration of your stay, you will be granted free use of whatever facilities you desire; do not feel stress over a cup of coffee after you and the others have managed to avoid plummeting the world into war."

"Bleh, this stuff tastes horrible!" Alice suddenly cried out, the little Caster having stolen the cup out of Takumi's hand and hesitantly taken a sip. Jack, though now more cautious of the perfectly innocuous cup, too a drink as well, giving it a strange look before downing the rest of the cup. That was meant to be his.

"Children these days, can't even take a simple cup of coffee." The Doctor muttered, his eyes having never stopped moving since the moment they entered the holy realm. It made sense in the realms of his own world, where aliens did exist and constantly proved to be a threat to the universe, yet he had accepted the existence of fallen angels well enough; why did he seem so sceptical now. "I wonder if they'd give me a chance to look over their research, just a little peek."

"I'm sure we could get someone to lead you there, if you don't mind breaking away from the main group." Lancer informed the white haired man, a smile coming over her face. "I will admit, I tried to have a look at some of the older books in the library they had here and they seemed to just fly over the top of my head."

Now that simply couldn't be left alone now that it was brought up.

"Actually, is there a chance I could go there too? I just want to see what kind of literature they have in a place like this, it must be quite literally ancient!" Takumi remarked, a slight bounce to his posture.

"Let us do it like this then. I shall lead Takumi and his group to the library and whatever you girls wish to do, I can arrange for a separate form of guidance. Is that alright?" Lancer eventually suggested, Irina and Xenovia looking to each other before they gave a nod.

"We haven't really thought of where we wanted to go, but I know Irina will probably fall asleep in a place like a library." Xenovia answered, showing no response to the mock punch thrown at her shoulder by Irina. "That's good enough for us. Thank you for leading us this far, Lancer."

"Naturally. Shall we come this way then?"

* * *

"I know you've been here in heaven for a while, but it does seem as if everyone really respects you Lancer." Takumi commented as they walked along, met by many a happy wave from the various angels when they caught a glimpse of the armoured blonde. "Why is that? What is your true identity?"

"It may be a bit arrogant of me to say this, but I don't believe my true name plays a part in this. After all, I have yet to reveal it to any here." Lancer answered, never turning from the passing people as they navigated their way. "I suppose I'm simply trying my best to be a nice person. If I can do that, then making friends should be simple, right? As for who I am… oh look, the library's right there!"

It was a petty trick and the blonde leading their group knew it, but Takumi simply couldn't bring himself to care at that moment; the sight before him was too magical to put into words. Books upon books seemingly touched the very sky, an odd thought considering Heaven was technically above the sky already. The brunette supposed that when you could fly, having the books reach so high wasn't too much of an issue, but for someone like him, he couldn't even dream about coping with the incredible amount of literature in front of him.

Taking one of the closest books upon a nearby shelf, Takumi was surprised to see it wasn't the dramatic unveiling he was expecting. Actually, quite to the contrary, all he was met with was a copy of Grimm's fairy tales, a perfectly preserved version that was done in a style that most likely meant it was one of the original copies, but Grimm's fairy tales all the same.

"Of course Heaven wouldn't be able to speak about their library if they didn't have human written books. Were you expecting otherwise?" the Doctor remarked with an eye roll of exasperation, especially when Takumi turned away. What? He was perfectly right in thinking there would be books written by angels, he just forgot that Heaven was connected to the human world as well. "Still, there's got to be some history texts in here. Might as well give guessing Lancer's identity a try, eh?"

"Ah, so that's the game you wanted to play." Lancer spoke with a grin, clapping her hands together. "Well then, the history section is over here. Naturally, seeing as it covers the entirety of human history and supernatural history as well as numerous interpretations of said histories, you'll find that there are a ginormous amount of books for you to try and guess a single person from."

That was a good enough challenge for Takumi, who immediately strode over to the designated section, pulled over the ladder that would help him actually reach the majority of the books after a little request from what he hoped was the librarian and set about picking random options. The rest of the heroic spirits joined in too, the Doctor quick to whip out sunglasses of all things, holding a finger to the side as a buzzing noise filled the air.

Of course, not exactly being the most literate of the group, Jack took to simply taking a picture, glancing over the images and staring intently at Lancer. If they didn't seem like an appropriate fit, then said book was discarded. A rather basic strategy, but one that may work none the less considering the amount of books she was able to go through. Alice too chose for a particularly simple strategy; it wasn't all that difficult, after all, to get yourself lost in a book that seemed quite interesting instead of trying to figure out the mysterious servant's identity. One look at the grey haired girl was all Takumi needed before he gave a sigh. Yep, he wasn't going to get anywhere with the Caster.

Charles-Henri really shouldn't have been able to find the answer considering he didn't really participate either. After a short amount of searching, the saber had merely given up on his task with a shrug, chancing upon a book based upon historical executions and looking over the bloody history his profession held. That meant it held tales about a legendary hero born from nothing who became greatness, only to be betrayed by the very country she had put all her faith in; it didn't need any pictures, but the man turned the text to face the others with a low chuckle.

"Perhaps this might serve to be our answer. Tell me Lancer… would you just so happen to be the Saint of France, Jeanne d'Arc?"

Lancer smiled.

* * *

Berserker strolled out of the library with a jaunty smile on his face, regardless of the destruction that lay in his wake. It was a shame, truth be told, but he was a man of pragmatism; a few books could be sacrificed if it meant the furthering of his plans.

Such an odd place to hold such importance; a library that held no special texts to speak of, was not in a position of strategic importance (well, not to the blind eye at least) and barely seemed to scrape by if not for the generous donations and the hard work of a single individual. It was that individual however that changed the entire game, who justified the destruction of such a bastion of education and enjoyment. They held far too much power, that strength a paint that could do nothing but paint a larger target upon their back.

Of course, they were no weakling, far from it in fact; several heroic spirits served to produce amazing capabilities beyond miracles if they weren't faced with an unsurmountable obstacle as they were in their last bout. However, it was only while they still had one of the most important things for a warrior that they stood so proud; they still had hope. With every brick that fell from this library's foundation, another sliver of hope left their enemies; a dog wouldn't fight if it clearly knew its superior and had no other place to return to after all.

The white haired berserker tipped his hat as he passed by a walking couple, them none the wiser to what he had done now that he was so far away from the scene of the crime. It was great, how ignorant the people could be when they wanted to – they were happy with their relationship, their lives were going great, so why on earth should they fear the suspicious man strolling down the other side of the street? Perhaps they would show more of a reaction once they finally got news of the oh so random destruction of the library.

The red eyed man did spend a moment to ponder where his opponents had gone. They had simply disappeared from Kuoh after the strange spike of energy that rocked Kuoh before it seemingly stopped instantly and when he had gone to check the area, there was not a piece out of place. It wasn't as if he was fooled by the rapid repairs, he wasn't that stupid even with the mad enhancement affecting his mind; someone had put up an epic fight and that meant that the enemy heroic spirits and their master had disappeared. Who wouldn't have taken advantage of such a perfect situation? Now, all that was left was to wait for the reaction to come – his foes would come crawling back in despair, ripe for the picking.

Caster pulled her hood closer around her body, looking to the horrific sight before her. She had known of Berserker's plan, the mad man always had a plan ready for whenever their master started to feel a little bit desperate or cocky. All that she had been told was that a building would be demolished though.

The bodies being drained upon the road weren't even mentioned as a part.

They were no older than five, yet their flesh was mutilated by the concrete that fell upon their vulnerable bodies, skin peeled away and muscle torn away from the bones they were connected to. An eyeball rolled to the tarmac before her, the black haired girl flinching away; it was clearly gouged out by a particularly sharp piece of rubble.

"This was meant to be victimless… children are dead because of him." Caster muttered, eyes flickering between various parts of the destroyed building and the lives it so cruelly took. Well, it was wrong to blame a building when it didn't hold sentience. No, the culprit was clear.

Berserker would have to answer to her.

* * *

A slight beeping from the Doctor's glasses had the man looking towards the information in confusion, his frown growing by the second as Takumi turned to the Rider. It had been making the strange buzzing sound whenever the older man had pressed the button upon the side and did whatever he was doing, but something told the librarian a sound like _that_ wasn't going to be as good as he hoped it would.

"Something's happened back at Kuoh, the TARDIS' sensors have just gone off!" the man declared, Takumi letting himself fall down the ladder's rungs as the others stood from their positions. "I had it keeping up a scan of the building, checking that things wouldn't be messed with while we were gone or more realistically, waiting to tell me when things inevitably went wrong."

"Can you make get it here? Without it, we're going to need to get someone else to take us down there." The master answered, already moving as he spoke. If Takumi had to guess, there were two things it could be; either that strange Berserker or Lancer had attacked while they knew it was defenceless and neither really made it seem like a good situation.

"I'm assuming that if it were possible, we would already be sitting in it." Saber sighed, cracking his neck. "Such a holy fortress should be rightfully difficult to enter through outside means, otherwise part of its premise, being restricted to those who have lived a wholesome life, would be inapplicable as people force their way in."

They were fortunate enough to come across a group of guards sitting idly by the entranceway that they had first entered into Heaven through, their faces like stone as they gazed out over the heavenly expanses. Hopefully at least one of them would be able to bring them down to the surface safely.

"We need to get down to the human world right now, there's been an attack at my workplace!" Takumi yelled out as they approached, the guards immediately turning towards the source of the noise. They looked between each other questioningly, but it was only one who was willing to speak up.

"Are you not the group who are with lady Gabriel? If it so, then she must be made aware of your departure." The guard droned, Takumi running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Can't you take us down and then inform her? It's not as if there isn't enough of you to do that!" Takumi cried out in frustration, but the guards were standing their ground, firm and unmoving.

"There is to be no travel between the human world and Heaven without the authentication of the Seraphs!"

"I have been granted the approval of Seraph Gabriel to speak for these people, is that not enough?" the voice of Lancer cut in, but not the one he had gotten used to. Until this point, it had simply been polite friendliness and the slightest hint of teasing, yet this was the voice of a warrior. One who commanded the respect of everyone she came across, Lancer strode forward with strength to her pace, gaze unwavering as she stared down the guards in their golden armour and flared out wings. "She has given me total control over this group while she is not here to speak for them and thus, that would also include important events such as an attack on their property. _Let them down._ "

It was visible that there was hesitation to them, but before too long the leader (or at least, Takumi believed it was the leader considering he was the only one willing to actually talk and give orders) sent off one of the others to go towards the opulent building in the distance, the gates behind him slowly opening with a divine light. No more words were needed, the group rushed forward through the gate and before long, they were falling from the sky.

Wait, why were they falling from the sky!?

Father!" Alice was quick to manoeuvre her way through the air like a fish through water, the little girl needing to do little more than simply wave her hand (and Takumi wasn't too sure whether the waving was a product of the incredible currents they were currently experiencing) before a tiny spot of green sprouted far, far below. Well, that little dot grew incredibly fast, and not simply due to the terminal velocity the group had; before too long, an incredibly beansprout had taken root in the ground, the leaves a perfectly soft cushion to hold their fall as the slid down the long stalk. Withering away as soon as they touched ground, Jack was the last to leave the beanstalk as they were all met with a horrible sight.

Takumi couldn't tell who they were. He should've been able to, he knew almost everyone who came to the library and the children were even easier to remember with their amazing energy and exuberance. None of that mattered however when their bodies had been mutilated beyond recognition by rubble, stone scraping away any remnants of humanity that made up those children's faces. If the librarian sought to dig deeper into the rubble, he was sure to find their parents in a similar state, if not worse, but he was no professional if he tried to do such a thing, there would be even worse damage dealt and there was no reason to make them suffer even more after death.

Stray pieces of paper fluttered by his face as Takumi took in the sight of the destroyed library, a quick barrier being raised by the little Caster meaning they went completely unseen by the group that came back to survey the damage that had happened to the building. A particularly tall pile of blocks fell to pieces when the Doctor gave a little mutter, no doubt the TARDIS moving itself from where it had positioned itself after its owner had been taken up to heaven. There was no denying the utter destruction that happened before him Lancer's hand falling upon his shoulder.

"There was a not left behind. It's different from all of the books." She informed as she handed over the little slip, Takumi taking it within numb hands as he began to read. It wasn't much, barely more than a few words really, but it was enough to truly have his blood begin to boil, an immense anger filling his eyes as he crushed the petty paper in his fist.

 _Berserker wishes to see you dead. The Count lays a trap for you._

"Don't be a fool, they tell you it's a trap!" Charles-Henri called out, his iron grip far tighter than Lancer's as the librarian began to bolt. The executioner pulled him close as his words became little more than whispers; even a barrier could only do so much when a person was yelling their heads off. "You have no location and you've faced Berserker's strength first hand. you won't stand a chance, even with Lancer's assistance!"

"He's right. You make a move without thinking and you'll get yourself and all of us killed." The Doctor added, his screwdriver flashing as he waved it over the destruction piled before him. "Looks as if it was all done by hand. Berserker managed to get all of this done without anyone noticing, break it down with his pure physical capabilities. For a person like you, that means you'll look no better than them with a single flick of his finger – we don't need to see something like that again."

It was a sobering thought, being reminded of what had happened to him when he tried to stand off against a servant. He was no hero, with a single punch, he would be sent through several stone walls, he couldn't fight back. instead, the brunette merely fell to his feet in despair, the tears entering his eyes as Jack and Alice took their place on both sides.

"I have only just joined and already my master has been made to suffer." Jeanne muttered beneath her breath, armoured fist tightening as she watched the passing workers and investigators. No doubt it would get pushed aside to be something like a gas leak or the sort and never looked at again until it would be reconstructed. It wouldn't be the same though, it wouldn't have all of the love and passion that her master so clearly put in the place. "This Berserker, he shall meet his end. In the name of peace and justice, he will be made to pay for the lives he has taken on this day!"

They weren't aware of the extra witnesses that gazed down upon them, one of the nearby buildings that hadn't been destroyed allowing for an Assassin to watch alongside a Caster. They were silent at first, but Assassin finally broke the silence after a few moments' observation.

"They are vulnerable, they are not thinking correctly. Should we strike now, then this battle may be over." She remarked, the emotionless warrior glaring down with golden eyes, unblinking. "However, I do not wish to strike. There is a strange hesitation that I do not like."

"I guess that's because he's grieving for the people who died, who lost their lives in a war they didn't belong in." Caster answered with a sigh, letting the hood fall to reveal her black tresses. "I mean if the only people there were participants of the battle, then it would be a different story, but to see innocent children dead because they simply wanted to have fun at the library… it's needlessly cruel."

But since she was brought into the world, Assassin had not cared for cruelty, or any over designations that would imply there was emotion behind her actions; she was simply doing a job, or analysing the handiwork of others to see where she could improve. Now however, she looked upon the children, the ones who had lost their lives, and something within her burned; she had no idea what was burning, but she didn't know how to react to the feeling, at all.

"So you're letting yourself actually feel something again this time?" Caster remarked, a dry humourless chuckle escaping her as she huddled against the girl for warmth. It would do nothing considering Assassin didn't actually produce any body heat, but the process still made her feel slightly better after what she had seen. "To think, with any emotion you could've shown, you choose to let yourself feel injustice, anger: the emotions that make people act irrationally."

Ah, that was bad. She had seen the results of anger and save for the mad enhancement of Berserkers, it made people far too reckless to maximise the efficiency of their strikes. That didn't mean that the black haired warrior could hide what she was feeling though from Caster; Assassin could coldly analyse the situation as much as she wanted, pretended that she was above such things and her emotions were an error that needed to be corrected, but in the end she was simply becoming much more than she had been in life. It wasn't as if this was a normal war anyway, so maybe things like this were to be expected even of who appeared to be the coldest killers.

Hopefully with the letter they had left, that group would be able to get back at Berserker for what he had done. No doubt they would want to avenge the lives that were taken, but it was simply whether they had the strength to actually achieve their goals. Their barrier was nothing to Caster, she could clearly see that there was another alongside them, but how much a difference she would make was anyone's guess at this point. Still, she should just be happy that they actually had even a slightly better chance.

"Caster, I understand that the death of innocents is something that you do not like, but why do you hold such animosity to Berserker?"

"Look me in the eye and tell me that anyone can stand that man."

* * *

 **And now people are dead and a library has been destroyed. Considering the newly created relationship between Takumi and Heaven, just what will happen once people hear about such an event? It's a personal attack and they aren't going to take it well! Next time, misunderstandings and mistakes will result in something hopefully interesting!**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	16. Chapter 16 - the Archer

**Welcome back folks, time for another chapter. Hopefully, this should be the start into one question that I've received multiple times for this story; just what kind of shitty excuse do you have to make the Doctor a servant? I've been playing a lot of Grand Order recently and today is the release of the first episode of Doctor Who's season 11 publicly, so I figured it would be the best time to start on that question. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Open the gates to your heart and let your soul guide the way... Chrom._

 _Chrom: Takumi, when factions come together, what sort of miracle will you face? Archer, show yourself!_

 _Takumi: Sometimes, first impressions aren't what you expect them to be! Isn't that right Geiz?_

 _Chrom: I suppose we're sort of the same, harnessing the power of the people before us... Let's use this power righteously!_

 _T +C: The story begins! Now, it's time!_

* * *

Gabriel touched down delicately upon the ground, checking the surrounding area before she let herself be seen upon the street by the group of servants, Lancer immediately falling to her knees when the Archangel approached. She did nothing at first, only placing her hand upon Takumi's shoulder with a silent prayer, her eyes fluttering shut.

"If only I had not brought you to the Heavens… you would've been able to defend your home." She lamented, Takumi breathing deeply before he could actually form a proper answer.

"I… I don't think I could've. W-we've thought this person before and he defeated us easily. He could've done this at any time and probably done the same thing." Saying it aloud did little to make the admission any easier. Just how weak was he, even after all he had tried to learn? The librarian – well, he wasn't a librarian at the moment, not any more, grasped the back of his head. "All we can do now is wait for it to be rebuilt. It's going to cost a fortune to replace everything, that's for sure…"

Gabriel was no fool; she had seen many a person try their best to hide their true emotions, many far better actors than Takumi could ever hope to be. The brown haired man wasn't sure how to react when the blonde woman suddenly drew him into her embrace, clearly uncaring for the way that his head met her chest.

"Do not fret, I shall do my best to have it restored to its full glory as soon as possible, no better! After all, it is all I can do for your assistance." The Archangel promised with a smile, pushing Takumi away so she could meet his eyes. "No, I shall do even better! I shall make it a place which could never be forgotten!"

Takumi let a smile appear on his face at that. With Charles-Henri and Lancer placing their hands upon his shoulders in support and Jack and Alice holding onto the bottom of his shirt, the bond was palpable between them. Now though, they had a proper goal to achieve.

Find the one called Berserker… and _crush_ him.

"We'll use the TARDIS until we can get this building back on its feet. I'm sure if you need us for anything, you can knock on the door." The Doctor suggested, tapping the sonic screwdriver against his hand with clear energy, a thousand thoughts passing through his mind a minute. Despite the clear lack of respect however, Gabriel just gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Of course, I'll get some people to do it as fast as possible! We'll have to deal with whatever humans try to handle the situation… but I'm sure I can find something that'll work!" the way she said that final part was far less reassuring than she probably thought it was, but the sincerity was there at the very least. "I'll be sure to come back when I need you, but Michael's keeping me so busy. Farewell!"

And with that, the Archangel was gone in a bright burst of light, leaving the others to cover their eyes lest they be blinded. It wasn't as if they could do anything more at this point beside train and try to formulate a plan to lure out an enemy that came out of nowhere.

"You mentioned TARDIS, didn't you? Is this some sort of alternate housing?" Lancer questioned, Takumi pausing slightly as he turned to face the blonde girl. They hadn't actually explained that yet, had they?

"Well, it's that over there." Takumi pointed out, the Doctor having kicked aside the majority of the rubble that surrounded the police box's new position with the assistance of Charles-Henri. Lancer blinked. Then she blinked again. They she turned to look back at Takumi.

"Are we actually all going to fit inside such a small cramped area?"

"Trust me, you'll be surprised."

* * *

"It's… bigger on the inside!"

"Finally, someone finally said it! You'll be surprised how rare it is to find people who don't say it, yet until this point, it takes until Lancer before someone reacts!" the Doctor remarked excitedly, letting a smile show briefly before returning to his more inquisitive face. "Now, what do we know about this Berserker, the 'Count'? Last time we thought him, there was barely a reaction from him and his mad enhancement didn't seem prevalent in his normal manner."

"He was absolutely relentless. There wasn't even enough time to finish a chant before he had the rest of us beat." Takumi pointed out. It wasn't as if the Saber servant had been standing still when he was doing his chant; the enemy was simply fast enough that he couldn't avoid the strike no matter what. "Assassin, Caster, Rider and I… the majority of our team are people who are weak physically. Against someone with his kind of brute strength we only really have Saber and Lancer."

"While I have a greater amount of strength than I would if I had been called upon in my typical assassin class, it is still not the greatest there is." Charles-Henri admitted without a single moment of hesitation; even if he was the brawn of the group, he was only so strong. "If we wish to find a way to take his head, I fear we'll need something more creative than simply throwing all the force we have at him."

"I fear I don't know much about your abilities, however, I am confident in my ability to defend from anything and annihilate anything." There was a sad smile to Lancer's face as she made her declaration, calmly stroking the shaft of the standard she held by her side. it was a beautiful flag of white decorated with iris and angels, a spear's point at the end to give substance to her chosen class. "However, overuse of my perfect defence will tear my standard, preventing it from overuse and my ultimate attack holds the price of my own life. While I will not hesitate to attack upon my master's words, I ask that you bear such a thing in mind."

"Well if it's going to kill you immediately, there's no way we're going to use that!" Takumi immediately answered, Lancer temporarily letting her surprise show on her face. "This isn't something that we need to sacrifice your life for, I know it. This may be difficult, but even if the option's there… there's no way I could use it when it means your death."

"…What a kind master I have." Lancer's smile returned full force, Alice looking at it only briefly before grabbing Takumi's waist, the brown haired man looking down at the white haired girl in confusion before giving a small shrug. "Even if you will not use it, I shall put the suggestion forth. Should we ever need it, it will be at your beck and call."

"But that still means we have the defence at hand. If we can use that, then we may be able to have the time to utilise our own Noble Phantasms." The Doctor mused, rushing over to one of the various boards scattered around the interior of the TARDIS to begin scrawling all sorts of things upon its surface. "If you give me some time, then I'll figure something out. You, Lancer, stay. We need to learn more about what you're capable of."

"Um, okay."

"Allow me to remain as well. After all, I have more to reveal myself." Charles-Henri added, standing before Lancer with a stern sound to his voice even if it didn't show on a face of steel. Perhaps it was the innate reverence he held for the Saint of France; Charles Henri had been brought up with the Roman Catholic religion like many others of his time, so it was only natural that he felt protective f the literal Saint stood behind him. Lancer clearly appreciated the gesture, someone disturbed by the abrasiveness of the Doctor. "Master, perhaps it is best you rest. Training now would perhaps put too much strain upon yourself."

"You can read with me and Jack!" Alice immediately suggested, happily removing her arms from Takumi's waist in order to drag him by the hand over to Jack so she could then grab hold of the assassin and bring them deeper into the interior of the space vessel. While the manifestation of nursery rhymes naturally enjoyed reading and Jack was more than happy to indulge the girl silently, Takumi would swear that she was being far more possessive than before for some reason.

While the Doctor would spend the days locked away in the TARDIS formulating who knows how many plans, Takumi would be left to oversee the near instantaneous reconstruction of the Kuoh library with his own eyes. The halos over the workers heads were clear indicators of who they worked for, but that did little to erase the novelty of seeing people casually fly up instead of forming a scaffolding structure or lift obscene amounts that no normal human could deal with.

Actually stepping into the library once the construction was complete was a relieving act for Takumi, the man looking over the shelves with happiness. Sure, they weren't yet as fully stocked as they once were, but the miracles of magic meant they would soon have every single book that once was there, if not more thanks to the diligent work of the angels copying whatever was needed from the vast libraries of heaven. It was weird, holding temporary hold over the actions of the angels, but they were more than happy to comply and he did his best to provide whatever he could for them; in the end, Takumi struggled to find a single difference in the library that he hadn't dictated.

"Ah, it's just as beautiful as I imagined it would be!" Takumi couldn't help the yelp that escaped his mouth when Gabriel suddenly spoke up behind him, which was especially odd considering that at the moment, he was sitting behind the front desk. His surprise did little to deter the seraph's enthusiasm however as she wandered between the aisles, gazing at all of the decorations that now adorned the walls. Despite all of the hard work the angels were capable of achieving without breaking a sweat, Takumi still wanted to pitch in along with Alice and Jack, resulting in various paintings covering the blue walls (though admittedly, they did have to cover over some of the images the small assassin created when they weren't looking.) "If this is what it looked like before, then you are exceptionally talented at keeping this place so cheerful!"

"Um, thanks I tried my best. After all, a library is such a peaceful place, yet no one seemed to care about it. Someone had to put in the effort." Takumi dismissed, rubbing the back of his head. "But, I'm guessing you're here because…?"

"Yep, I have need of your presence." Gabriel explained with a small cough, trying to supress her excitable nature. "You see, the peace conference occurring between the three factions will be occurring soon, and your presence there will be good for the show of goodwill. You won't have to do much beyond stand there and answer any questions you are asked, but you're free to abstain from answering if anything gets too personal. Your friends will be able to come along, though as their leader, it is really only you who needs to be there."

That was fair enough. He was still seen as the 'leader' and in all realities, he was; Takumi was just a leader who was far weaker than the ones who served him, did little to contribute to the strategic aspect and was still learning the absolute basics of magic. Yes, he was perfect as a representative of heaven compared to his servants.

If Gabriel noticed the small self-depreciative chuckle that escaped the librarian, she did little to act on it.

"Do you need time to gather your friends or may we leave immediately?" at that statement, he could immediately feel Alice and Jack by his side, a cursory glance showing their forms shrouded by their energy in order to remain astralised.

"No, I think we should be good to go right now." And with a hand upon his shoulder, a magical circle encompassed both Takumi and Gabriel, bringing them just outside of Kuoh Academy hidden behind the trees of the front. No doubt there was some sort of barrier to prevent immediate teleportation into the area, or anyone who knew what was happening could simply waltz into the school.

They were brought into a completely refurbish office, Michael giving them a small wave from where he sat in a plush chair, Gabriel taking a place beside him. The other leaders had already appeared at this point, Sirzechs sat on one side with the Fallen Angel leader, Azazel, casually perched upon the other side. The grey haired boy behind him was clearly his fallen angel counterpart, there as silent reassurance should anything happen, though he didn't look at all bothered to be there. Sirzechs, naturally, had chosen to go with Rias and her peerage as well as Sona and the Student Council Vice president Tsubaki. Along with them sat another devil, a cheerful smile upon her face as she glanced upon Sona with pink eyes; Serafall Leviathan, the Maou overseeing foreign relations if Takumi had been informed correctly.

"Allow me to go first. This is my sister Rias Gremory and her peerage. She was present along with Sona and her own peerage when the battle against Kokabiel occurred." Sirzechs stated, his tone remaining impartial throughout. It spoke to the serious air of the situation despite the smile upon two of their faces.

"We did little in the grand scheme of the fight." Rias immediately said in return, looking upon Takumi. "Takumi and his did the majority of the fighting."

"Regardless, it requires a brave heart and great trust in your peerage in order to stand so strong against such a well-known Fallen Angel leader. Allow me to express my gratitude." Michael answered. The leader of the fallen angels however didn't show so much respect, leaning upon his fist with a small sigh.

"Sorry about that happening to you. After all, Barakiel's one of our own, meaning it's our fault he ended up doing all of this under our noses." Azazel remarked. "Now then, it appears all of the participants are here, so shall we start the meeting?"

" _Looks like they've brought out the armies. Thousands of signatures surrounding the immediate area."_ The Doctor remarked in Takumi's ears, astralised just as the others were around him. Why they remained in spirit form, Takumi wasn't too sure, considering how the Gremory peerage combined with Sona and Tsubaki made for quite a group compared to his own presence along with Irina and Xenovia behind Michael and the grey haired boy behind Azazel. _"No doubt making sure that if things go wrong, they're all ready to start the next war as soon as possible. That's the thing with sheep like them; you can take them to a meeting about ending the chance for a war and they'll end up increasing the chance of a war."_

The information relaying was a long and laborious effort, constantly being interrupted in order to provide further details into random aspects of the event. There were some attempts to try and peer into how the servants functioned and why they followed his word, but a few moment of quick deterring meant they eventually moved on.

"And I, Sona Sitri, act as the witness who may confirm the details of this event." Sona concluded, Takumi giving a sigh as he stepped back. Hopefully, it would now be left to the main leaders in order to formulate a final decision, not that there was much of a decision to make; after all, there was nothing they could do with Kokabiel's body and there was little reason for the people within to discount the idea of creating a peace treaty.

"I would be interested to gear the Fallen Angel governor's opinion on the report." Sirzechs said, the casual man straightening up slightly before falling back into his relaxed form.

"Does it really matter what I think in the end? Kokabiel decided to act on his own and now he's facing the consequences of his actions." Azazel remarked with a smile. "I let him act on his own, sure, but only until I knew what he was doing. No doubt he had no idea I also held something in this town as well. If he didn't end up how he did, I was planning to have the White Dragon Emperor, Vali, here bring him to me. Probably end up in the deepest part of Cocytus up to his head as punishment.

"The problem of the matter is what Kokabiel had as motivation for his actions." Michael interrupted. "After all, the entire reason he acted as he did was because he didn't agree with you all. Because he wished for the Great War to have continued."

"Well, what do you want me to say? He may have wanted to Great War to carry on, but I have no interest in anything like that so late in the big game." Azazel dismissed with closed eyes. "Now, enough with the petty distractions. Let's just get on with making peace. Isn't that what we're here for?"

"Indeed. The three way deadlock that has plagued us all these years has only done harm to us." Michael intoned sadly, Gabriel gently clutching her hands in silent prayer beneath the table. "Whether it be God, the two war generals or the original Satans, the loss of those figures have irreparably damaged our factions."

"And that sentimentality is why I want to ask the two Dragon Emperors and the one who defeated Kokabiel for their thoughts." Azazel remarked, Issei's eyes widening as the grey haired boy finally decided the conversation was relevant. "The White and Red, who hold enough power to change the world with their hands alone, and the librarian who appears out of nowhere, human yet wielding the power necessary to defeat a high ranking fall angel general. Vali, speak."

"My only desire is to have powerful opponents to fight against." Well, the boy named Vali was remarkably blunt with his desires, but it was fair enough. There was probably some sort of political way to twist that statement into a desire for peace.

"You can find a lot of strong people without having to start a war." Azazel commented with a chuckle. "And what of you, Red dragon Emperor?"

Issei was left stumbling for words at the sudden questioning, only for the fallen leader to suddenly give a cough, a mischievous glint to his eyes that Takumi didn't like in the slightest.

"Allow me to make the decision easier for you then." He declared. "Issei Hyoudou, if war were to break out at this point, then it would be impossible for you to live your life with the ones you love. If we were to make peace however, then there would be ample time for prosperity and… propagation. To put it more bluntly, there would be nothing stopping you from spending your days having all the fun you can with Rias here."

One would be naturally led to believe that peace would always be the answer for the common man and while Issei may have the circumstances of someone very special, he was no less of a common man in thought process. However, the fact that the implication that he would be able to have sex with a girl if peace occurred was enough to sway him to passionately declare peace as the only way forward was so startling that Takumi couldn't do anything save for let his face meet his palm. For goodness sake, her brother was in the room!

Issei was saved from further embarrassment however when a wave of purple energy tinted the air surrounding, Sona, Tsubaki, Akeno and Asia suddenly frozen in place. Kiba, Xenovia and Irina had immediately drawn their most powerful blades, while Issei and Vali had a red and white gauntlet appear on their hands respectively. For the briefest of moments, Takumi felt the power pierce deep into his soul, only to be forced out and his flash of strange feeling dissipated seconds after.

" _Some sort of time freezing magic?"_ the little Caster wondered as the sword wielders of their group raised their weapons in defensive stances, the Azazel giving a low hum.

"So, something's trying to freeze time for us?" he mused, the grin that had persisted throughout most of the discussion suddenly fading into a small frown. "Looks like the majority of us are too powerful for their spell to freeze, whether it be our own power, or that of sacred gears and holy swords."

An explosion from outside drew their attentions to the windows, Takumi letting out a gasp at the sheer number of golden magical circles forming in mid-air, people dropping from within them. Their robes shrouded their bodies, eyes sewn onto the dark hoods as wicked smiles covered their faces.

"So, an army of magicians? How rude of them to try and ignore a magical girl like me!" Leviathan moped as she raised a single finger, the beams of magic they shot towards the building being instantly blocked by the huge barriers that formed around the school. While she may not have spoken up during the meeting, it didn't mean she was any slouch in combat, her title alone being more than enough justification.

"Rias, this is the work of your bishop, isn't it?" Sirzechs, questioned, the younger Gremory giving a hesitant nod. So Rias had someone on her side who could literally freeze time? Now that was a weird thing to think about. "Then no doubt they abused his weak will in order to force him to subconsciously activate his sacred gear. There can be no doubt about it: Gasper has fallen into enemy hands."

"For terrorists like these to try and use one of my servants. I won't forgive them at all." Rias declared, a firm glint to her eyes as she looked out to the many magicians trying to advance upon them. The only issue was, with the majority of their forces frozen in time, they were perfectly open targets to the attacks the magicians launched in their direction, their numbers being culled in seconds where the enemy should've already been outnumbered."

"We shall have to act soon, otherwise even we shall be consumed by the Forbidden Balor View's power." Sirzechs commented, his eyes narrowing as he looked out to the grounds, now swarmed by the magicians. They seemed to be growing exponentially, showing no sign of stopping at all thanks to the portal that hung in the sky.

"Sirzechs, there is an unused rook in storage." What a strange thing for Rias to say. At least, it was for Takumi because Sirzechs merely let an eyebrow raise at the suggestion. He didn't seem fazed at all by the fact she was mentioning such a thing, more that she was willing to go through with it.

"For you to attempt Castling and go by yourself… it's an incredibly dangerous move." The Satan said. Castling, a special opening gambit where a rook may swap places with the king so long as it hasn't moved and there is nothing to obstruct its path. If it could actually be used in a real life scenario, it would be incredibly useful in entering their location, yet it would leave the King fully exposed to whatever was keeping this Gasper hostage. "Fine. But if I contribute my own power, then there will be a second person who may go with you."

"Let it be me! I have to protect Gasper… I promised him I would!" Issei suggested, standing up and holding the draconic gauntlet close to his chest. Sirzechs' answer was a simple nod, the man raising his hand before a dismissive noise from behind interrupted him.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to blast away the dhampir along with the rest of these idiots?" Vali suggested, leaning back against the wall without a single care in the world. "If you want, I could get it done in a second."

"Would you think about the situation you're in just a little bit Vali?" Azazel lightly scolded with a weary sigh. "We're doing our best to make peace over here."

"Just sitting around doing nothing goes against my being though."

"Well then why don't you head outside and go play with our friends? I'm sure it will cause our enemies a bit of trouble if they suddenly see the White Dragon Emperor." That was clearly something that Vali was ready to do, for without hesitation, he leapt high into the sky on wings of blue energy. All that was needed was a single cry of 'Balance Breaker!' before he was clad in shining white armour, his figure far more imposing then the robed people surrounding him. They attempted to fire upon him, only to find their shots dispersed immediately, a small harrumph escaping the armoured dragon before white light gathered in his hand, forming sharp shocks of lightning that dispersed vast swathes of their army. Still they continued to pour out though, more and more men and women replacing those that fell thanks to the portal above.

Rias and Issei made their way through the magic portal formed by the assistance of Sirzechs, only pausing to receive what was apparently a power limiter for Issei's own version of the Balance Breaker armour gifted by the sacred gear. Takumi hoped he didn't let his intrigue show too much when the portal left only a white rook piece in their position, instead turning to where a golden portal managed to somehow form directly within the room, a pair of figures appearing from within with wicked smiles.

"Good day to you, Satans Sirzechs, Serafall." The brown haired woman of the pair introduced, a mocking smile upon her face as she spoke. Pink glasses were perched on her nose, clothes tight against a voluptuous body that simple oozed lust. "Apologies for the lack of notice, but I simply had to bring along my guest once he learnt of who would be at this meeting."

"What are you doing here Cattleya?" Serafall growled in response. "The fact that you're descended from the original Leviathan means nothing now!"

"Well, I'm just here to bring destruction and Chaos to the world. This man here is merely going to assist with that." The woman replied, turning to where her blond companion stood. With hair curled like the Englishmen of old, decked in a large white lab coat over a suit of black complete with black gloves, he certainly made for an odd looking figure, though it was his eyes that truly made him disturbing. They held little care as they landed on Takumi, the wild grin on his face growing even more.

* * *

 _A genuis man once told us why_

 _an apple falls down from the sky_

 _An_ _d from this fact, it's very plain_

 _All other objects do the same_

 _A brick, a bolt, a bar, a cup,_

 _invariably fall down, not up_

 _And every common working tool_

 _is governed by the self-same rule_

 _So when you handle items up there,_

 _let your watchword be "Take Care"_

 _If at work, you drop a spanner,_

 _it travels in a downward manner_

 _from heights, a fifth of accidents or more,_

 _illustrate that smart man's law_

"What a pleasure it is to finally meet the enemy master." And that was enough for Takumi to immediately back away, every single servant that was present in the room immediately returning to their physical form, much to the surprise of the other occupants in the room. "Ah yes, well I suppose it's only natural for such a result to occur when one so blatantly reveals their alignment. Well, my apologies, but allow me to introduce myself. I am a Caster in the Archer class, though considering how close you'll be to dying in the next moments or so, I might as well tell you now; my name is Isaac Newton, the Master of Motion, king of Gravity and the one who shall beat you here and now."

"A Caster in the Archer class?" Takumi managed to say before a sudden weight upon his back forced him to the ground, along with everyone else in the room save for the free faction leaders, though a grimace could still be seen upon their faces. "But Newton… you… never used a bow… or gun!"

"Well you should understand this better than anyone else here. After all, you've got a servant who has done the same thing, right… Foreigner?" Foreigner? Was that meant to be a class of some sort? The woman who had come along with the enemy Archer, Isaac Newton, happily raised her staff, the energy gathering around it causing the leaders to gather around the group. Newton was forced to back away as the explosion rang out, the smoke dissipating to reveal barely a remnant of the building they were standing in, the group hesitantly standing up surrounded by a barrier formed of three different powers.

"For the three powers to be working together on a single barrier… What an absolute disgrace!" Cattleya cackled out. "With both God and the original Satan dead, surely this would be the perfect time for a revolution?"

"Cattelya, stop this at once! There's nothing to gain from this!" Serafall tried to beg, only receiving a look of pure distain as the woman clutched her staff harder, pulling it into her chest.

"Look at you Serafall, so pitiful at using the title of Leviathan you stole from me." Cattleya spat. "Don't worry your dumb little head though, after I'm done with you, I'll simply take the title of Leviathan back from you. Newton!"

"Of course." A wicked smile graced Newton's face as he raised a single hand. First, a swift gesture downwards caused the earth beneath him to complete shatter, hideous boulders covering the ground before Newton lifted his hand upwards, said boulders gaining a purplish glow as they began to rise up in the sky. A single click and they were all hurtling in Takumi's direction, only blocked by a powerful shield forming before the librarian. "Ah yes, the Caster on your side is a powerful one despite her size. Still, if that's all you can do, then you're clearly outclassed!"

The Archer scientist made a foul decision however; his manipulation of gravity meant he had lightened that which was forcing the others down. While Azazel and Serafall worked to bring down Cattleya's might, Gabriel and Sirzechs sought to maintain the barrier protecting those frozen and out of combat and Kiba, Xenovia and Irina had taken to trying to whittle down the number of magicians forming outside; now that he was out of the influence of Newton, even temporarily, he had to take advantage of it!

"Jack, deal with the magicians! Doctor, see if you can try and figure out a way for us to break the gate, stop the huge flood of reinforcements." Takumi barked out, stepping back so Alice, Charles Henri and Jeanne could form a defensive line before him. "We'll try and deal with Newton."

"You're welcome to try; you're welcome to die!" Newton cried out, the earth shattered beneath them being perfect for forming new ammunition for him to fire in their direction. "It's simply, a shame I didn't get the chance to fight the foreigner! After all, even with the fusion, even with the _cheating_ of the system in place, he still means nothing!"

Now that they were aware of what Archer was capable of, it became easier to recognise the various burst of increased gravity the enemy servant would cause, allowing Saber and Lancer to stand strong as they deflected the boulders launched in their direction. It wasn't as if Newton was throwing them with his power; their aim was too perfect and they were gaining in speed the longer they were in the air – he was manipulating their gravity so as if the projectiles were being dropped towards them. That much Takumi could figure out.

His words also let Takumi realise something else. He said Foreigner wouldn't be fighting him, meaning that Foreigner was either Jack or the Doctor; if he could just figure out what a Foreigner was…

* * *

Jack strolled out into the middle of the grounds, a whole horde of magicians hanging over her with smile upon their faces; they were practically being gifted with a free kill after all. they weren't scared of the scarred child, nor were they afraid of the little lantern she held in her hand, not even when she raised the shutter and let her finger touch upon the flame with but a few words.

 _ **The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis**_

The sun had set. Many of the magicians were female. The mist spread out, choking the magicians, slowly killing them, though not fast enough for Assassin's liking. Their teleportation was limited as well, preventing them from leaving the smog filled area. It was _time._

Kiba backed away towards Irina and Xenovia's position when the fog began to form around them, weaving around their bodies as the entire area was engulfed in the smog. Though they couldn't see far into it, one didn't have to see in order to hear the choking coughs and confusion, nor the quiet voice that somehow managed to break through the noises of battle.

" _ **Yeah, let's murder it.**_

 _ **Hell is starting. We are flames, rain, power…**_

 _ **Let there be a slaughter…**_

 _ **Maria the Ripper!"**_

And all hell broke loose.

Meanwhile, despite his greatest efforts, Lancer and Saber were slowly managing to approach upon Newton's position, Alice playfully humming a tune as great vines grew from the ground and batter away whatever projectiles hoped to come close to Takumi. It didn't take a genius to understand his tactic wasn't working. Of course, Newton was a genius and thus, he let his hand fall briefly with a scoff.

"Such a shame your attacks have no range. It means that if I do something like this…" the earth shook and in no time at all, Newton launched upwards, rocketing into the sky to stand alongside all of his boulders, complete with a portion of the land large enough to act as a proper platform. "The only way you can fight me is with your Caster. Tell me, do you think she is strong enough by herself to battle me properly?"

"I'm super strong! Saber, Lancer, protect father!" It was somewhat comical, seeing the small grey haired girl fly upwards on a cloud of pinkish energy, ducking and weaving around the debris that sought to impale her as rainbows shot from her hands. Takumi, being defended by Jeanne and Charles-Henri however, had another thought at that moment.

"But, Newton so far has only been attacking with projectiles, yet he's letting Alice come into close range. Why would he do that?" the librarian mused with a grimace as the two began trading attacks even fiercer than they had been before, pure orbs of magic smashing into and passing all sorts of junk Newton pulled up from around him. "There has to be a reason why he would do that…"

"Go!" Alice cheerfully yelled as a pair of portals appeared beside her, flowers shooting out at speeds that fauna should never be able to achieve, almost like bullets towards Newton. Rather than show any sort of fear however, the wicked grin that had once been upon the scientist's face suddenly made a full return.

All of a sudden, every single plant that had been launched in his direction exploded in a fiery death, the servants all taking in a breath of surprise as Newton rolled his neck.

"Finally, a chance to properly show off my skills." The scientist sighed. "For you see, I'm no Archer class material in my normal state, even with all of my assistance in the world of motion. However, if I just so happened to have a phantom of the Archer class fused into my being, then becoming an Archer is far simpler. If they have access to fire and one of my enemies just so happens to have been using plants, there's barely a challenge!"

A phantom? What was a phantom? But Takumi wouldn't get the chance to ask, for the man had already begun developing a lethally boiling aura around him, numerous boulders starting to burn up as the surrounded him like suns in the sky.

" _ **Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.**_

 _ **Do you believe you can react in time?**_

 _ **With the strength of a black hole, all of SpaceTime shall bend to my will!**_

 _ **Universal Gravitation!"**_

* * *

 **And let's put this on pause for now. I almost forgot to put a rhyme in this chapter, that would've been a disappointing way to stop this little gimmick. Now that I've put up the** **possibility** **, just what has happened to the Doctor in order to make him what he is right now? What spirit has been fused into Newton to make him an Archer? You'll be surprised by the possibilities; after all, Thomas Edison quite literally has every single American President as a part of him and Hessian Lobo is a combination of two different characters. Yeah, this might get a bit strange.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 **The Laws of Gravity - altered from _a safety advert -ITV_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	17. Chapter 17 - the book, the profiles

**Good news: I have answers. Bad news: will you like them? I don't know. Thankfully, my inclusion of Isaac Newton allowed me to utilise some of the knowledge I've gained from my A-Level physics (Quite a lot of countries know what A levels are, some don't - they're the studies you take before you go to university, between three and five different subjects. I do four.) for half of Isaac Newton's Noble Phantasm. Anyway, here we go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Chrom, the world is going to end. what will you do... wait, where are you?_

 _Chrom: I'm in your time stream, weird. I'm talking to present you and past you at the same time._

 _Takumi: Wh-what? What does that even mean?_

 _Chrom: Well, there's you back when you only had Jack and Alice and you now. Well, at least until the timeline fractures._

 _T + C: The story begins! Now it's time!_

* * *

For the faction leaders and the others gathered on that day, it was as if the world changed.

* * *

"The law of Universal gravitation indicates that every single particle that exists in the universe exerts a gravitational force upon every single other particle in existence. Admittedly, that is taking into account the fact that the force is directly and inversely proportional to the product of the two attracting masses and the square of the distance between them respectively." Newton remarked as if he were in no more than a lecture hall rather than battling against the physical incarnation of a concept, surrounded by the bodies of mages at his side that were gradually being slaughtered as the mist filled with blood. "If we consider the distance squared to be represented by r2, then F=G(m1m2/r2), with G being the gravitational constant discovered by Henry Cavendish as 6.674×10−11 N·kg–2·m2."

A frown marred Takumi's lips as he wiped away at his brow; despite the fact that the meeting was occurring at night and there had been a wonderfully chilly breeze blowing through the area, it was starting to get hotter and hotter, far hotter than it had any right to be. It wasn't just the burning meteorite like boulders that were being chucked around by the scientist either, for one look at the sky was all that was needed in order to find a grave discovery.

It was getting brighter above.

"Of course, the power of a Noble Phantasm is a force incomparable in itself, especially when augmented with the feats of another." The enemy Archer chuckled, momentarily slamming his hand downward with a purplish glow upon it. Alice wasn't prepared, for the Caster suddenly smashed straight down through the platform she was standing on to collide with the ground, a momentous amount of power needed simply to stand up. "That power is strong enough even to ignore the rules of the world; perhaps even enough to make it so the distance between the two attracting masses is ignorable and the gravitation constant is increased exponentially for specific masses; such a thing could be deadly in the right hands."

The heat was growing even more unbearable, way too quick to be anything but the effect of the noble phantasm; just what had Newton called upon them? It took the Doctor's voice coming at him to pull Takumi out of his trance, the sound of various levers and switches being heard from the other side.

" _ **That madman. He's pulling stars towards us, nine of them! If we don't stop them fast, he'll burn the planet to the ground in seconds!"**_ the Rider explained, Takumi's gasp audible as Newton began to laugh. With the assault from Jack and the ever increasing heat they had no time to prepare for lest they leave themselves exposed to the wicked knives flashing about, even more of the mages that were dotted around them were beginning to fall, even Azazel and Cattelya pausing briefly in their battle to take note. _**"I'm trying to figure out a way to stop them, but my Noble Phantasm wouldn't be large enough. I can capture a planet, but the size of these things and the distance between them means that they're too spread apart for it to function correctly!"**_

"Ah dear Doctor, did you not think I planned for what you were capable of doing? After all, we're too similar even if you're far inferior to my abilities." Newton tutted, walking over to Alice, still crushed against the ground with the force of immense gravity upon her, Charles-Henri and Jeanne struggling to stay on their feet. "Now watch as the world that exists now burns, and a new world comes from the ashes! A world that would not scorn me should I pursue the philosopher's stone I so dearly wished for in life! A world that Christ may return to and bring forth a new age! This world, which was meant to burn in 2016… it holds no purpose for existing anymore."

"Newton, you idiot! You'll destroy the planet with what you're doing! This isn't what we agreed on!" Cattleya warned, trying her best to fend of the combined assault from Azazel and Sirzechs, two tainted energies combining into a fierce strike that her shield was only just managing to hold out against.

"You, who wished for chaos and destruction… is this not the ultimate fulfilment of what you desired?" Newton responded, his tone taking a leap from mildly jovial to completely dead in a mere second, even if his smile never faded. "Make no mistake Cattleya, I am not your servant. That honour belongs to another. That means then, your orders, your desires; they mean nothing to me. It just so happens that this will bring me closer to my desires."

The scientist threw his hands out, joyful tears streaming from his face as all others not locked in the midst of battle watched on incredulously.

"No matter how much I changed the world, no matter how many mysteries of the universe I solved, I never came close. My true desire, the philosopher's stone… I came nowhere close to achieving it." Newton remarked. "If only I was able to do more, yet the church would have me burnt the moment I revealed my intentions! It was never enough, yet being summoned as a servant meant I had a chance to finally achieve the stone, become more than a God! Yet here I am, in this grail-less war, my wish never to be achieved! If this world would spite me so, then it doesn't deserve to exist!"

So that was it then. They were all going to die because a scientist decided that even with all he achieved in life, it wasn't enough and because he wasn't going to get what he wanted, he might as well kill everyone else. Sure, Jeanne's defence might be able to keep them safe, but they didn't have the ability to save them all and if there were nine stars heading in their direction, the world itself might not even survive the explosion. This was the true power of a servant, this was something they couldn't fight. It was the end of humanity as they knew it, the end of everything. Even an archangel wouldn't be able to face the might of nine stars exploding at once.

"Master… you aren't… planning on giving up now… are you?" Takumi turned to where Jeanne was beginning to fall, her standard being the only thing keeping her standing at the moment. The gravity she must've been feeling at that moment was immense; with the stars already heading in their direction, Newton only had to keep them in place and Takumi wasn't strong enough to do anything.

Huh, the world was going to end and he wasn't even considered a person who could do anything. After being told how great he was, this was a real grounding thought.

"Focus… Master." The Saber ground out, slowly moving towards Newton with as much strength as the executioner could muster. "We are servants… this world… doesn't deserve an execution. But if we want to… have the strength to do that… then we need our Master behind us!"

" _ **Don't act as if we hadn't faced some pretty weird stuff. Sure, maybe world ending stuff's only really my thing, but you can bet that this many servants can deal with this!"**_ the Doctor may not have been facing the power of the gravity enhancement directly, but he was trying his best when he wasn't a fighter.

"Master looks at me and sees me. The monster that slaughtered, the one that was born of hatred… is unseen-!" Takumi could feel the hands that almost wrapped around his waist, were it not for Newton also seeing her and bringing both the librarian and Jack down to the ground, Takumi locked on his back unable to move. He didn't need to move to feel Jack crawling upon the ground, tiny fingers resting in his own. "Not the mother who disowned me… but the father… who loved me…"

"This story isn't over… this story isn't over!" Nursery Rhyme called out, her fingers joining where Jack and Takumi's were. Her face was marred with… not blood, for she didn't bleed, but perhaps it would be simple enough to refer to it as magical energy, fading away the moment it left the Caster's skin. "We can do this… if Father's with us!"

They were all depending on Takumi. They still had a chance to save the world. Had he ever hoped to be put in this situation, the final bastion before the earth could be destroyed? No, never in his life. Yet here he was, and he would be a fool if he listened to all of that and still remained resigned.

He struggled to breathe, the pressure crushing down upon him at all sides being far greater than humans should be exposed to. The black spots were already starting to form in his eyes; any longer and Takumi doubted that he would be able to stay awake, or wake up again. That was when the piercing pain in his heart started to pound like a wild drum, Takumi letting out a grunt of pain as he tried to move anything, anything to lower the pain. Despite the crushing gravity, he managed to weakly wrap his fingers around Jack's and Alice's, Newton's eyebrow rising slightly as he caught the rainbow light trying to burst out of the librarian's chest.

"It's too late you know. The suns are already hurtling towards us, there shall be no survivors. It would be wiser to spend your last waking moments saying farewell to those around you." Newton warned, only to reel back his hand as if it had been burnt the purple glow that covered it shattering like glass. "Wha-!?"

" _ **This story isn't over!"**_

* * *

There was silence as the blood dripped from the ground, Takumi slowly standing as he held a hand to the gaping wound upon his chest. It hadn't managed to pierce flesh too deeply, but with the skin ripped off, almost burnt, it was rapidly gaining in blood flow. Takumi ignored this, a stern expression on his face as a bloody hand reached out to grab the elegantly patterned book that had launched out of his own body, the slightly browned pages flicking in the breeze as it took on a golden glow.

" _ **And as the hero rose to his feet, friends and allies joining him, Newton found himself unable to move."**_

And as the hero rose to his feet, friends and allies joining him, Newton found himself unable to move. With every word that Takumi said, the sentence formed in golden English letters behind him, like a golden beacon as the old English font lit up the night even beyond the approaching suns' shine. A similarly golden pen forming in Takumi's freehand, the man began to write, tiny gasps escaping him as the blood red handwriting he placed on the pages began to be burnt on.

" _ **With no other choice, Newton found himself at the mercy of each servant's Noble Phantasm, forcing himself to cancel his own."**_

A rush of energy ran through each of Takumi's servants as they stood, looking to their hands in wonder as they turned to where their master was standing. The golden words were imprinted in the air behind him; they weren't going to disobey his orders, but there was the smallest feeling in the back of their heads – even if they wanted to, they had no way to disobey even without the use of command seals.

" _ **Well then, let's play together!**_

 _ **The repeated ripples of pages...**_

 _ **being pushed away is the bookmark of grass...**_

 _ **all fables are my friend!"**_

" _ **The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis."**_

" _ **We are known by many names and many faces,**_

 _ **Moving beyond the boundaries of time and space.**_

 _ **A fool, a hero, an idiot, a mastermind,**_

 _ **Every single one is me, yet none.**_

 _ **All will come together regardless.**_

 _ **Time and Relative Dimensions in Space!"**_

" _ **Here's the work of the Lord!**_

 _ **My flag, defend our brethrens!**_

 _ **Luminosité Eternelle!"**_

" _ **It's time to execute the sentence.**_

 _ **My entire being has been devoted to my job,**_

 _ **Perfecting the art of death, making even the loss of a head a rapturous event.**_

 _ **May you find hope in the next life.**_

 _ **La Mort Espoir!"**_

And for Newton, the world changed.

* * *

"So that's why…" Serafall breathed as she looked upon the carnage that was happening before her. "What is that book? With it out of Takumi's body, he feels barely different from a normal, if strong human… that book, its power is so great, I doubt even a high mid-class would be able to properly detect it! How does that end up being put in a human's heart without negative effect?"

A golden barrier formed around the area, originating to where a saint held her holy standard proud. The same flag that had inspired an entire army to battle strong at her side let loose with an ethereal light, the same weapon that had been by Jeanne D'Arc's side since the very beginning. Newton's gravitational force upon their back was dispersed completely, allowing the servants to move forth unimpeded towards where the scientist stood.

A thick mist choked Newton, the scientist unable to see a single thing beyond the horrifying smog. While the knives at Jack's might not have been as powerful as they might've been had she been facing a female servant, they nevertheless were relentless as they slashed away at Newton, the Archer's frozen body being the perfect target for the tiny assassin to do her work and leave a crisscross of wounds.

The Caster known as Nursery Rhyme let loose with a giggle as it brought forth an aspect of the story it too inspiration from, several card like creatures bursting forth from a puff of pink energy to stab their spears into the Archer's wounds, weak weapons doing little to truly damage the servant, yet pulling apart his wounds to cause even further agony to the scientist.

This was followed by Takumi's first glimpse of the Saber's true skin, the armour normally covering Charles-Henri's body folding away slightly, the master straining to understand the slight sound escaping Charles-Henri's body, as if a thousand blades were clashing at once. The source was made clear when Charles-Henri's hands came towards Newton's neck, the exposed flesh seemingly cutting into the scientist's flesh as if a knife through butter or to be truer to form, a blade from a guillotine through a criminal. After years of dedicating himself to the art of execution, it could be said that his very body was as skilled at killing as the guillotines he introduced, that very concept materialised in a body that could execute anything with a mere touch.

And then came the Doctor, several TARDIS' forming around the area, their individual systems locked onto Newton's exact coordinates. While they may not have been able to deal with such a large scale issue as the multiple suns that were gaining upon their position, it didn't mean they were incapable of moving a single man. It wasn't as if they would have to do much either; the Archer had been so heavily damaged, that moving him into the realms of deep space would be simple enough. In a few moments, Newton wasn't even in the same solar system as the others.

"Yet the suns still remain…" Takumi muttered, slowly turning to stare into the sky. The heat and brightness was growing beyond acceptable levels, there was no way that people could ignore this as anything normal. After all, if nothing was done about this then they would all be dealt with. The librarian wasn't too sure what had happened while his attention was focused upon the servant, but the effects depicting the time freeze dissipated, as had the giant circle feeding the constant flow of magicians resulting in the skies being free once more, Azazel drawing back his spear as he let Cattleya fall to the ground, dead by impalement upon a wicked artificial Sacred Gear.

"So, where on earth did this thing come from?" Azazel questioned as the man flared out his wings, twelve solid black masses of feathers behind the leader of the Fallen Angels. It was the lack of a left arm that intrigued Takumi however; so that had been the scale of the threat they were dealing with, such that could even damage one of the strongest of the Fallen Angels. "Well, whatever it is, has it got enough juice to deal with whatever's coming?"

* * *

While they were focused upon the incoming issue, they were blind to the short haired man casually walking up to Vali, the pair separated by the others once the mages had been defeated, with a low whistle, the newcomer looked with a bright grin upon Takumi's form, the book in his hand drawing particular attention from him.

"Bikou, what are you doing here?" Vali questioned, not even bothering to open his eyes as he leant back against the walls of Kuoh Academy. The response was a small tut, Bikou throwing his staff over his shoulders casually.

"Well, we're off to deal with the Northen Earth Gods, so I was called here to get you back." The man replied, a monkey's tail wagging in excitement. "Got to admit, I didn't expect to see something like this. Looks like a real good fight, if only we didn't have to go and deal with the Gods…"

And so in a purple portal of power, the pair disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Takumi took a deep breath, his every focus placed upon the book within his hands. He knew what he had to do, and it would be done the moment he wanted it to be done. That was the author's desire.

" _ **The suns then died in silence at a click of the fingers, not an explosion or even a sound of defeat as they were destroyed."**_

And so the people watched as a miracle happened right before their eyes, affecting each of the giant stars one by one there was a moment when it seemed nothing would happen beyond the words Takumi said appearing in golden font behind him. The suns then died in silence at a click of his fingers, but even an explosion or even a sound of defeat as they were destroyed. Rather than completely disappear however, something even stranger decided to happen; while the flames dissipated, nine corpses fell to the earth, burning as they fell through the atmosphere and landing in a ginormous crater just before Takumi's feet.

"Three legged crows…" Takumi mused, looking upon the bright red corpses. They were covered n golden feathers, most likely ripped off their bodies as they came down to the ground. Where had he heard about such a thing before? But before Takumi could ponder any further, he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

* * *

When Takumi awoke, it was to an empty hospital room looking out upon a golden sky, not a single one of his servants beside him. Every part of his body felt like it was burning, requiring far too much effort for the librarian's liking to simply turn his head to the side, reaching out to touch the strange giant book that sat upon the chair beside his bed. Well at least, that was what he tried to do, yet all Takumi actually managed to achieve was letting out a pained scream of shock as the book suddenly fluttered out his grasp, floating up to shoulder height with fluttering pages.

" _You weren't meant to see this form… my real form…"_ that voice, it was Alice's yet when he tried to focus on her… it was as if she was right in front of Takumi. His mind pounded as he tried to make sense of what was happening, the fact that there wasn't any of the charm and cheerfulness that typically appeared in Alice's voice only adding to the confusion that plagued his aching mind. With a statement like that however… _"This isn't Alice. This isn't the lovely Alice who danced like a ghost on the moon. This is the tattered old book, the stories of a time long gone… can you love it the same? Can you love it the same as you loved Alice?"_

It made sense. After all, Takumi already had been told the truth about his little Caster; she wasn't the young girl known as Alice, but Nursery Rhyme, the personification of the English short stories made famous by Lewis Carroll's Alice in wonderland. No matter how much she… _it_ tried to cover itself up with a pretty little face and a childish demeanour, it was still simply a concept given form. Alice wasn't real.

" _No! Alice was real! Alice was real and amazing! Even with her bad end, she shined…"_ the book responded, its pages fluttering as it spoke. _"I took Alice's face. I thought, 'that form is Alice's but...' and became Alice. But no matter what, I'm not Alice. I'm just emotions folded in between pages, someone who can't do anything without fingers to turn the page. A story."_

"…but that never meant that a story couldn't be loved just as much as a normal person."

"…"

"When you came to me, I was looking for a daughter, I was looking for someone to love for my own, someone to _call_ my own and you, Nursery Rhyme, and Jack answered my call." Well, it was a lot more complicated than that, there had been a whole mess of emotions and confusion and the like and Takumi had definitely not been prepared for when they arrived, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy at what they had brought him. "People fall in love with stories all the time. You may have been taking on Alice's appearance, but I loved the story of Nursery Rhyme, _your story_. Seeing you in this form doesn't change anything."

It was hesitant, but the book floated closer and closer to the bed, no words entering Takumi's head but rather the pure emotions that ran through the pages before him and the librarian did something that under normal circumstances would have him called insane; he wrapped his arms around the book, closing his eyes as the light filled his eyes. Even if he suddenly felt weaker, as is something had been pulled out of his body and into the being before him, Takumi didn't let go no matter how many tears fell upon him.

"Never think I don't love you, no matter what form you take." Takumi muttered as he pushed back Alice by the shoulders, smiling at the tearful girl. "Why did you suddenly take that form though? If you felt so subconscious about it."

"Father didn't have enough magical energy to keep us all sustained physically. When you fell, your magical power weakened and the book you were holding stopped holding so much energy." Alice answered; perhaps it wasn't the same energy as she usually had, but it was returning to its usual lustre. "But then the book disappeared and you started gaining your magical energy back! But they wouldn't let anyone in, so I snuck in as a story and waited and waited… and my thoughts began to drift."

Yes, all that had happened with Isaac Newton. It was somewhat of a haze in Takumi's head – almost as if he hadn't actually been through it and someone had just told him a story of what happened, but he couldn't deny that he had done all of that. The first question then was how? It was clearly something to do with the book, but that had disappeared when he fell if what Alice was telling him about was correct; how was he able to call it to him and why had he been able to do what he did when it was out? There were so many questions that needed. If being without it meant that his power seriously weakened however, he would need to prevent that book from falling into the wrong hands.

A sudden whirring at his side had Takumi leap out of the bed in surprise, a move that proved rather bad when he fell to the ground with a groan, Alice letting out a small gasp as she waved her hand in order to lift her master onto the chair. If the Doctor showed any remorse however, he didn't care to show it as he looked down upon the strange screwdriver like device in his hand.

"Suppose it makes sense now. Never seen that kind of energy signal in any kind of human, had to be something special…" the Rider class servant remarked, tapping the side of the sonic screwdriver in slight confusion. "Problem: it wants to register _something_ as both physical and non-physical inside of you, sonic's struck trying to decipher just exactly how that works. I'd make it go quicker, but I suppose you'd rather be in a hospital than a lab."

"Doctor?" and it wasn't just him alone either, for Charles-Henri and Jeanne had entered the room, a bit more openly and with a greater amount of concern than the Doctor.

"Tell me, how do you feel Master? From what I can feel through our contract, your health has been flunctuating." Charles-Henri remarked, gently running his hand down the length of Takumi's body with a hum, watching eagle eyed for whatever reactions his master gave. It was reasonable after all; the Doctor may have been called a doctor, but medicine and health never really was his thing. Charles-Henri however was a doctor of medicine and it really showed.

"I feel a little bit weak and the headaches are killing me… but otherwise, I'm fine." Takumi answered with a weak smile, turning to where Jack had immediately begun clinging to his side. with a smile, he threw his arm around the small assassin, feeling how she held on closer under his embrace. "I suppose I have to ask my own questions. Doctor, what was said before… he called you a foreigner and I don't think it was because you come from different places. Why?"

The question was enough to make the muttering man freeze in his place, the numerous calculations running through his head suddenly pausing as he tried to figure out the best way to answer.

"Well, had to come eventually. Can't say I'm not surprised. Try not to be too disappointed with the answer." The white haired man remarked with a sly grin, though it tempered off into something a bit more solemn. "You see, there are only meant to be seven classes in the typical Holy Grail war and even if this isn't one of those, the same rules should still be in place. However, there are those spirits who don't exactly fit into those containers. Spirits that have defining traits that completely change their being. Classes like ruler, avenger, alter ego, and the Foreigner – the visitor from the empty void."

"While I'm a lancer in this form, I can also be summoned as a ruler." Jeanne pitched in, her face set in a small frown. "If I remember correctly, then a foreigner is a being who has come into contaxct with an eldritch being and survived, whether it be by withstanding their madness… or consuming the madness itself."

An eldritch abomination? In a world of angels, devils and demons, it did make sense that they could exist, but to know that there were those who actually met those hideous demons and survived or even beat the gods… how was Takumi meant to react to that?

"I can see it in your eyes. Don't worry, I haven't met any gods. Well, not many." The Doctor stated. "The time stream is a delicate thing. It's a power no man should ever mess with and even the Time Lords themselves merely ride alongside the time stream rather than ever hope to manipulate its powers directly. Time is regarded as a chaotic creation, something that came before the very creation of the universe, the creation of the Gods even. _And I took that power into myself! I swallowed it whole and I lived!_ Well, sure, it did require a regeneration afterwards, but that wasn't too much trouble – I was only on number nine at the time. Well, it wasn't exactly number nine, but that's a story for another day. The only issue is, it requires incredibly extreme circumstances to summon a foreigner, something that could risk humanity collapsing. Whoever wanted to summon me in the first place, they wanted to reign in my power so it couldn't get too extreme. Thus, they did something that shouldn't really be done – fused me with a phantom. Normally, you would choose a powerful phantom to try and bolster the summoned spirit's power, like with Newton who, from some research, managed to fuse with someone rather special. Me however? I got the weakest possible phantom that would allow me to be summoned as a rider.

I was fused… with Caractacus Pott."

* * *

"My my Newton. You would think after being fused with the phantom of Hou Yi, you would be able to perform a better show than that." Berserker remarked as he placed down the badly beaten Isaac Newton, the archer giving out a few coughs as his dark look was directed towards his fellow servant. If it weren't for my noble phantasm, I might not have been able to reach you fast enough. Although, perhaps it would've been easier to let you fall like the suns you tried to destroy the planet with."

"I will at least give you this, I certainly hadn't expected that from the other side…" the Master mused, gripping his cane tighter. "But regardless, with the gift I've given you, surely a genius such as yourself would be able to defeat them without being as reckless as you were. You tried to do what an arrow could do with something that would've destroyed us all, simply due to your selfish apathy. They've proven too dangerous, they've had their time to grow and become a more entertaining act, but now they won't bow to the superior hand like wild animals. Taming them should be our responsibility, as the stronger, the _wiser_. They've played their part and it's time to take them off the stage."

"Hmm. You seem to be restraining yourself less. Are you letting your true self show now?" Berserker remarked, the frown present upon his master's face growing more pronounced with his teasing words. "Has the ringmaster lost his touch? I would've thought those snakes would be enough of a confidence boost."

"Silence! The fact that Ophis has given me her power means nothing, it merely makes it easier to sustain this form." The master snapped, though the Berserker showed little care. "Don't forget your place! You listen to my commands, you listen to your _superior!_ You, a fake creation from the imagination of a man hold no power in comparison to the wonders I hold in my hand!"

"But that isn't the only thing that strange girl's powers do, is it? They stop the voices, they stop the higher powers from doing what you want to do to the world." The Berserker's tone was sharp, even as the smile remained upon his face. "If you didn't accept that power, you would just be a puppet on someone else's strings."

A sudden blast was quickly avoided by the white haired servant, the Berserker giving a small tut as he corrected his hat, knocked slightly off place while Newton was forced to take the full brunt of the attack. With a grunt, the dark aura that had tried to take over their master began to recede, the tattoos that crept along his skin like streams of blood disappearing as he panted heavily. It was not the first time such a thing occurred and it most certainly wouldn't be the last, especially if their master was too irritated to hold himself back.

"…Acts are better off sticking to the script, but a show can't go on without actors. Remember that Archer." The master spat, gesturing for the Berserker to deal with the fallen servant. The white haired berserker responded quickly, picking up the scientist's prone body without issue and moving through the door, heading towards the room Newton had typically holed himself in.

Now left alone, the stress flooded the master's face as the voices returned full strength into the back of his mind, pounding like madmen trying to escape from his skull. The headaches were becoming more and more persistent and with no one who was truly proficient with healing on their side, there was little he could do. It wasn't as if healing magic was guaranteed to do anything anyway – not with how they had first come to him.

"No, I'm the one in control here. You bow to my whim…" While the words themselves might not have held as much power as normal, the sheer anger they contained as the master looked towards his aged hand was immeasurable – he was meant to be in the peak of his prime, yet here he was, being aged beyond normal measures. How long before he became dust, not even recognisable as the person he was? "I…am… no puppet!"

That was what he said, yet he was allied to that ridiculous dragon girl – she would lend him her power in exchange for his assistance against the Great Red, the beast that resided in what was originally her own home – the Dimensional Gap. He had no reason to go against a creature that was beyond the level of a divine spirit at full strength, but he desperately needed the boost to keep his powers at bay and her little snakes proved to be excellent for fending off the insane influence. For now at the least…

"Still… Takumi Yuu… how did you get that damn book?" there was a chance that it was a sacred gear, but with how sudden the awakening and usage of the tome was, it was incredibly unlikely – no god would introduce such a powerful reality altering magic to something as pitiful as the human race. No, there had to be some other reason. Perhaps his plans had been so high a threat that Gaia itself decided it needed to produce a counter balance, using that librarian as a vessel.

The laughter began as a small chuckle. Then it grew into a rumble before gradually gaining in intensity before the man threw his arms out wide with tremendous laughter, a raucous sound that echoed off the walls.

"What a brilliant tagline! Come see the man who caused even Gaia and Alaya to create a hero against him! If only I was a author as Shakespeare and Anderson were!" the man yelled to the empty air; with the sheer amount of defences that had put up around his dwelling, the chance of a nuclear bomb destroying the area was reduced – the chance of his cries exiting the boundaries of his base was the closest to non-existent a person could possibly achieve. "No, business must wait for later. The show must go on and we'll need to plan a new way around those damnable servants."

Many servants would normally be highly reluctant to go against divine beings and his rivals had just so happened decided to ally themselves with beings of heaven. Not that it mattered much however, unlike the age of gods. Even without the restrictions that had been placed upon them, they were far weaker than they typically were made out to be. No matter the reason for why such a thing happened to be the case, it could only be good news for what he wanted to achieve.

Yes, the show definitely would go on. Regardless of whatever powers tried to get in his way. After all, under the control of truth, even lost souls live happy.

* * *

 **Well, that was a thing. Unfortunately, there's no rhyme in this chapter, but I couldn't think of a way to implement it, not with what was happening without being too incredibly awkward. Instead, allow me to print some character profiles, chopped up into five sections as if they were like Fate Grand Order's bond lines (and for a fair amount of the, they are with either editing or additional information.) Please, look forward to the next chapter!**

 ** _Team Takumi (Chronological order of reveal)_**

 ** _Nursery Rhyme - Caster_**

" _Nursery Rhyme is a nursery song.  
_ _Tommy Thumb's cute picture book.  
_ _The initial form of Mother Goose.  
_ _The sorrowful me to the lonely you.  
_ _Lets us grant those last wishes._ "

 _A Reality Marble holding the form of a previous master, Alice. Nursery Rhyme is not an actual hero, but the general term for a picture book that actually exists._ _As it accepted the dreams of many children, this genre that is deeply loved in England was established as a single concept, turning into a Servant that is "a hero of the children"._ _Later, something that became the groundwork for bringing forth the celebrated writer Lewis Carroll._

 _Nursery Rhyme's form and personality changes depending upon its master. Summoned under the hand of Takumi Yuu, Nursery Rhyme has amplified the aspects of Alice she has imitated and cheerfully refers to her master as 'Father'. However, this increased reliance upon Alice's mannerisms and form has resulted in its mental conflict growing - does it deserve to take on the form of Alice?_

 _Coming from an English background means Nursery Rhyme shares a fair camaraderie with Jack the Ripper, emphasised by Alice's kindness. Being summoned together is something that Nursery Rhyme is secretly quite pleased about, though it doesn't exactly appreciate the fact that Jack keeps trying to escape from the tea parties she set up._

 _As a Reality Marble, Nursery Rhyme is in and of herself, a Noble Phantasm. thanks to Takumi's love of various tales and stories, Nursery Rhyme has access to her full array of Noble Phantasms rather than simply being limited to the wonders of Wonderland. However, their magical energy consumption means that Nursery Rhyme personally limits which she uses. Her favourite remains as **Nameless Forest - Birds are just birds.**_

 _ **Jack the ripper - Assassin**_

 _Since Jack the Ripper's identity was never found out, their form changes in accordance with the class they are summoned into._ _As an Assassin, they represent the collective consciousness of those who were never given the chance to be born_.

 _Since Assassin Jack was killed before she was born, her typical wish to the Grail is to return to her mother's womb. She is naive, but perhaps because she was summoned as Jack the Ripper, she is astonishingly intuitive._

 _Though Takumi is not a suitable candidate to act as Jack's 'mother', he is still willing to show Assassin jack the love that she wasn't allowed when she was refused the gift of life. Because of that love, Jack is willing to accept Takumi as a 'father'._

 _After being summoned as an Assassin, she calls herself "Jack the Ripper," but even she doesn't know if she's the real killer._ _She remembers killing several women, but is uncertain if they are Jack's victims._

 _Despite typically referring to herself using a plural pronoun, Assassin Jack has strangely dropped this habit when summoned this time. Perhaps it is because she knows Takumi's love is related to that of a father's and no normal daughter refers to themselves as 'we'._

 ** _Charles-Henri Sanson - Saber_**

 _The fourth head of the Sanson House, which worked with the enforcement of capital punishment for generations. In the turmoil of the French Revolution, he executed people from all social classes. With the introduction of the guillotine, an execution device that followed arguments of humane consideration to their logical conclusion, his executions began to increase in number even more._

 _Charles-Henri Sanson was no knight or warrior, but an executioner. The role of executioner is something inherited through the generations, and he is the fourth. His lifestyle was extremely wealthy, but he was often scorned because of his occupation - something that became a source of anguish in his youth._

 _Leading an elegant lifestyle worthy of nobility, the Sanson House loved and respected the King and Queen and showed great pity for the citizens governed by them. It has been said that they even provided the cutting-edge medical technology, which was cultivated from the executions, free-of-charge to the needy._

 _However, the times did not allowed Charles' peace._ _He, who had jobs as an executioner forced upon himself even after the French Revolution occurred, eventually had to be present in the execution of his beloved King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette._

 _As a Saber, **La Mort Espoir -** **Death is hope for tommorow** also changed how it is manifested. Charles became so involved with execution and the Guillotine that it has become a part of his very being, almost like an innocent monster skill. Now, there is not a single part of his flesh that doesn't cut cleanly, his very flesh able to execute thanks to the concept of execution being so ingrained in his Saint Graph. The only thing stopping him from executing all that he loves is his own morality, manifested as steel armour._

 _ **The Doctor - Rider**_

 _A blunt, yet intelligent man, not afraid of using little to no tact in order to get his way. This is the grizzled old cynic that the doctor tried to hide behind younger faces; this is the incarnation that tries to hide the pain of his mistakes behind a stern face. While his main core personality remains unchanged throughout his regenerations, this Doctor lacks the more social pragmatic side the Doctor is known for, though time will make him show his friendlier and comedic side more as his grumpy facade fades._

 _"Run like hell, because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it's always funny…. Never be cruel and never be cowardly, and if you ever are, always make amends." Such a statement is the life that the Doctor lives._

 _His most famous Noble Phantasm,_ ** _Time and Relative Dimensions In Space - Madman with a box_** _allows him full access to the abilities of the TARDIS temporarily, which when summoned normally, the Doctor would have full control over and be able to power himself rather than being limited to movements across space that required large amounts of energy from his Master. With this full control, the Doctor can re-enact the incredible feat where the Doctor runs several calculations that require years to complete and execute in seconds through the assistance of each of his incarnations appearing in the same point of time and space._

 _While under normal circumstances, the TARDIS, a time travelling ship that could travel to any world at any point in time, would be more than enough to register the Doctor as a Rider class servant, his alien form as well as events in his history make his Foreigner status far more powerful._ _Without restraints, the Doctor would be summoned in the form he titled his ninth (though in truth, his tenth after denying the existence of one of his forms) towards the end of that life, where he had absorbed the time stream itself into his body. Time, as such a fierce entity, could never be controlled and it's mere existence within a mortal creature, even one from a race who claimed to control time itself, would've eventually escaped in an explosion that would've destroyed the surrounding galaxies._ _Combined with the sheer knowledge and skill normally in his hands and the ability to travel anywhere in space and time and the Doctor could be considered a threat on the level of Abigail Williams, a fellow Foreigner influenced by a Cthulhu god._

 _in order to be more controllable, the Doctor's Saint Graph was fused with that of Caractacus Pott,a lowly fictional navy officer and inventor whose call to fame was the restoration (not creation) of 'Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang', a famous car that held several secrets within it. Due to the weakness of Potts as a phantom, the Doctor's Saint Graph was restricted, ensuring he would have a form less powerful and more suitable as a Rider._

 _ **Jeanne D'Arc - Lancer**_

 _spear:_ _/spɪə/._ _Noun - a weapon with a pointed tip, typically of steel, and a long shaft, used for thrusting or throwing._ _"Surely such a definition means this standard is also a spear." Such is the excuse Jeanne uses to explain her summoning as a Lancer. While the majority of her personality and skills remain unchanged, this Jeanne places less emphasis on the holy saint of Orleans, but on the side of her most suited to fighting._

 _The most famous holy woman in the world. Between departing from her home town at 17 years-old and being sentenced to the stake at 19 years-old, she carved her name on history in mere two years. The holy woman that saved France; after accomplishing a military advance that could be very well be described as miracle, she was scorned and met a tragic end._

 _Even after being captured, Jeanne kept making miracles. It has been said that a farm girl - who should know nothing but the Bible and a few words of prayer - aptly maintained an argument with a first-class theologian on equal terms, making difficult to punish her as a heretic._

 _A soldier that declared that he would gladly burn a witch as evil as Jeanne of Arc witnessed a white dove fly towards France, after the young woman burned. It was then, he lamented with deep regret, that he knew they had murdered a true saint…_

 _The most appropriate class for Jeanne D'Arc to appear in if she isn't summoned as a Ruler, but as a solider with God's blessing on the battlefield. Though she may not have a proper wish for the Holy Grail, she would most likely wish for ever lasting peace in the world should she get the chance._

 _ **Team ? (chronological order of reveal - explicit naming of the Noble Phantasm is considered revealing)**_

 ** _Brynhildr - Lancer_**

 _Daughter of Odin, the Great God of Northern Europe, and one of the battle-maidens Valkyries. A tragic woman from Norse mythology._ _A battle-maiden regarded in the same light as Sigrdrífa, the fated person of the great hero Sigurd in the "Völsunga Saga", she is also similarly portrayed as a Valkyrie who fell in love with Sigurd in the "Sigrdrífumál" and the "Helreið Brynhildar" from Elder Edda._

 _Calm and devoted. There is some loneliness mixed in the gentle smile of this unfortunate battle-maiden._ _Despite behaving like a "doll" with a weak sense of self back when she was a Divine Spirit as the eldest of the Valkyries, after falling on earth upon incurring the wrath of her fatherly Great God, she became endowed with human nature and personality due to the incidental meeting with Sigurd._

 _Compassionate and full of affection, she thoroughly devotes herself to the person she came to love. A woman who was supposed to spend her lifetime as good wife if it wasn't for that tragedy._ _Although she never stopped loving Sigurd more than anyone else, she came to embrace the flames of killing intent at the end of a cursed tragic fate, eventually ending up killing him and also burning herself to ashes._

 _Even now, having turned into a Heroic Spirit, she still loves Sigurd deeply._ _Nevertheless, if by any chance he is summoned before her, she will automatically point her spear towards him._ _This is because, upon being shaped as a Heroic Spirit, both she herself and her Noble Phantasm ended up being given the definition of "something that kills Sigurd"._

 _Right now, she has been influenced through the alchemical powers of Newton to see any person as Sigurd, resulting in a mad enhancement-like effect where she will attack anyone and everyone at maximum strength. she is fully aware of her actions and regrets them deeply, yet her hatred of Sigurd is so deeply a part of her that there is little to stop her save for removing the outside influence._

 ** _Isaac Newton - Archer_**

 _The man who believes himself the master of gravity, who despite his many successes in the realms of science, was haunted by his failures in the world of Alchemy. An English mathematician, astronomer, theologian, author, and physicist, his name has become widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived._

 _While having created numerous different inventions and laid the foundations of motion, gravitation and numerous mathematical understanding, the religious atmosphere Newton lived in prevented him from properly pursuing his desire to create the coveted Philosopher's stone. His works into alchemy remain unpublished until long after his death, there was always a bitterness to Newton's personality thanks to this failure. This is best seen in how he refused Holy Orders from the church and rejected the Doctrine of the Trinity._

 _His work into the fields of gravitation and motion have materialised in an ability to utilise gravity in a limited extent, allowing for any item to be used as a projectile. in order to consolidate Newton's appearance in the Archer class rather than Caster for his Master had already summoned a Caster, the Saint Graph of Hou Yi, the famous chinese archer was fused onto his own. With increased strength, Newton's own lack of empathy to a world that rejected his true desires only increased._

 ** _Universal Gravitation - Nine chaotic suns_** _is the fusion of Newton and Hou Yi's noble Phantasms, **Universal Gravitation - Like an apple falling from a tree** and _**_Arrow of Hou Yi - Nine suns shot down._** _By influencing the world's laws, aspects of the formulas Newton created can be altered, resulting in a mracle beyond the world of physics. With it, nine burning crows are summoned towards the earth like suns._

 _While Hou Yi would teleport the enemy much closer to the suns and proceed to shoot them down, resulting in an explosion too far away to cause any damage, Newton would instead let the world burn. This man, who holds no empathy for the world which would reject his personal desires, would much rather the earth be non-existant rather than continue to live with the failures it has forced upon him. He rejects the idea that Gaia and Alaya would form something that would prevent the world from being destroyed, hence why his summoning in this form is rare._

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 **The Laws of Gravity - altered from _a safety advert -ITV_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	18. Chapter 18 - the consequences

**Welcome back folks. Introducing the next arc of my story, where the after effects of Newton's and thus Takumi's actions begin to take hold. This is definitely deviating from the canon so, please review and tell me** **what** **you think of this. It's something I've been meaning to explore for a while. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: A phantom thief huh?Well go ahead, steal the spotlight!_

 _Ren: Let me take your hearts away! Heaven huh... something tells me i don't get an invite._

 _Takumi: All around me are familiar faces, heavenly places, heavenly faces..._

 _Ren: Please. No. I do not want this to be my first impression of you._

 _T + R: The story begins! Break the chains!_

* * *

"It is fortunate you are all here; I have some rather grave news to share with you." Michael solemnly declared as he entered the hospital room; there was no doubt that the bond Takumi and the friends he bore were great, they would be by his side as soon as he awoke. "As you no doubt have guessed, there have been more than a few talks about what has happened in recent times. We have received enquiries from all religious factions about the events at Kuoh."

There was no manageable way to contain a risk that threatened the planet – it had required a considerable amount of effort from every faction to ensure that the unaware humanity remained unaware even through the barrier formed by four of the strongest the biblical beings had to offer. While the people of Kuoh might've been unaware of the battle itself that had occurred upon the school grounds, that didn't mean the entire globe would be unaware of the sudden heatwave and temporary presence of numerous suns at the time. Fortunately, a fair majority of the different religions were willing to work alongside the Christian religion in order to disguise what had happened but it resulted in a large amount of favours being accumulated against Heaven and the underworld.

"Currently, humanity believes that there was a temporary heatwave due to some strange phenomena and scientists are being diverted to try and find a reason. So long as that man calling himself Isaac Newton doesn't repeat the odd feat he achieved here, we should not run into any further issues." The head Archangel continued, Takumi perking up slightly at the man's wording.

"You said 'the man calling himself Isaac Newton'. Does that mean you don't believe that he was Newton?" Takumi pondered aloud, receiving a curt shake of the head from Michael.

"It may seem like a strange thought to you seeing as you are still alive, but Isaac Newton currently resides in Heaven; if his soul had been reincarnated, then we would be made aware and would have had to authorise it." Michael explained. "My initial belief was that the man who called himself Isaac Newton was a part of the hero faction, a faction consisting of those who have descended from bloodlines of legendary heroes, but Newton himself is no hero by their standards and he never demonstrated any aptitude for magic."

"So you don't know about…" Takumi began under his breath. So far, he had only referred to his servants by their first name, never their full title, whereas Isaac Newton had freely given his full name when their team fought against them. Doctor was a common title, Alice, Jeanne and Jack were common names and even though Charles-Henri was not so much, even the Sanson name wasn't exactly one that was well known. While the recognition of such a famous figure appearing in the world again was enough to make Michael check Heaven to see why they weren't still within the glorious gardens, Takumi and the other heroic spirits had done nothing to truly warrant any suspicion beyond their powers and none of the true names of their Noble Phantasms were enough to produce enough recognition. "Wait, does that mean that Jeanne-?"

"Jeanne D'Arc, the one that appeared before us in a sudden burst of light? Of course we checked when she appeared before us." Michael replied, with a courteous nod to the Lancer stood beside Takumi's bed. "And indeed unlike Isaac Newton, her presence within the gardens has been allowed to leave in order to use her power for good. I had never expected to see her return to us as an alive human fully aware of who she was, but I had put that to a fault in the system; after the Great War, it never ran as perfectly as it once did."

"Then could I ask you to check something please?" Takumi requested, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward laugh as Michael gave a slow nod. "Um, let's see… can't check the Doctor, or Alice… Jack would be a bit awkward and Jeanne has already been checked so… could you check the 'gardens' for a Charles-Henri Sanson? And if he's there, can we meet him?"

"We do not typically allow humans to meet those who have entered the gardens." Michael immediately answered, though his reluctance wasn't too strong. "However, what you have managed to prevent is on the scale of saving the planet itself. If there is anyone who at least deserves to have a favour of us, it is you Takumi. I must ask one thing in return though; you must explain to us that strange power you called upon before, I haven't seen anything on that scale even from a sacred gear."

"I… I don't even really have an answer for that either…" Takumi muttered in reply, Michael giving a small unreadable look before it was followed by a brief nod.

"I see. Then, allow me to check the gardens and we shall discuss what your abilities could be later. There are countless of our more studious who would love to research what you're capable of, but I can be certain that you would prefer something a bit more private, correct?" the blonde remarked, Takumi positively shivering at the thought. He was a person, not a test subject no matter what and he would prefer to stay that way. "Please, come this way."

* * *

Chevalier Charles-Henri Sanson de Longval, born on the fifteenth of February 1739 and died an unremarkable death on the fourth of July 1806 after executing approximately three thousand including royalty. While he may have originally been practicing medicine and had been reluctant to take up the blade as an executioner under the pressure of his grandmother, the changes he made to the process had made the whole thing far more humane and _that_ at least was something that allowed him to live out the rest of his eternal life with some semblance of peace.

That wasn't to say that it was perfect. After all, there were times when he still heard their whispers, the whispers of both angels from above and humans alongside him alike, talking of him, of the things he had done in his life. After all, he made a living of killing people, of taking their heads and even doing so to the King and Queen of his own country. When placed alongside devout Christians and those who spent their lives helping others, he certainly didn't exactly fit in well.

"Charles-Henri Sanson. Your face looks troubled." A sudden voice calling out to him from behind caused the once executioner to turn around, a brow perking up in confusion. The only people who used his full name were those who were trying to recall who he was or angels who were doing their patrols and from the look of the man who approached, he was very clearly neither. With a body clad in thick steel armour and a dark trench coat covering his body, he certainly cut a far more intimidating figure than the angels typically preferred if they were moving around Heaven and no human would ever need that sort of protection when they were brought into Heaven. "Could it be you don't believe you belong here? A man who spent his days killing, who even removed the head of his beloved monarchy?"

"Pray tell, who might you be? Who are you to read my thoughts out loud, some sort of councillor?" Charles-Henri quipped in return, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "I must admit, I rarely find myself in company nowadays. There are few I would call good friends here and I'm perfectly happy spending my days studying the medicine of the world."

"I suppose that makes sense. You never were a socialite at all, always trying your best to improve the lives of the people even if you had to take the lives of others to do so. Tell me, do you ever regret following the words of Anne-Marthe? Without them, who knows how far you would've managed to push your medical skills, how far you would've been able to help those in need. Do you ever ponder that?"

"Now look here, just who are you? I hear you say these things and it almost sound as if you've done the same." Charles-Henri answered, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Is this the voice of someone trying to find peace with themselves or someone who's trying to understand how this world judges people better? I honestly can't quite tell."

"I think you'll find, a little bit of both." The armoured man remarked with a chuckle. He held out a hand towards Charles-Henri, a beat of silence between them before the executioner cautiously took it. Although the cold steel felt odd in his grasp, there was undeniably something familiar about its strength; this was clearly a man who made great use of his blade, for better or for worse. "Do you perhaps know a place where we may sit and talk? I fear I have many questions I would like an answer to."

"...Well, it's not as if we don't have the time." Charles-Henri commented, the armoured man giving a small nod as they moved over to a bench situated nearby. "I would offer you a drink, but it is a rather hard to come by resource in a place like this no? Regardless, before we begin, I must admit I have one request before you ask these questions of me."

"I would be remiss if I couldn't answer a single request. Please, speak your desire."

"If you wish to know of my own life, I believe it fair that I receive yours in turn. Do you not believe so?" Charles-Henri stated, a smile upon his face as he made the deal. The armoured man didn't give a response at first, only giving a light hum before he reached to his side, giving Charles-Henri the first good look at the blade that was sheathed. One single look towards the end of the sword however brought a small gasp to the man's lips, the armoured man giving a small bark of laughter.

"I hoped you would you would have that reaction. It is a sword you're most familiar with, is it not?" the armoured man said, pushing the sword into Charles-Henri's hands. With no small hint of nostalgia to his movements, the dead man moved the sword in his grip, flipping it back and forth and even giving it a test swing.

"Yes... one never forgets the weight of their blade and this is surely one that had met my hands many times." Charles-Henri replied. "I remember forming holes in that exact same position as well, produces a noise when a cut isn't perfect yes? I'd almost say it was my... it is, isn't it?"

The smile that Charles-Henri got in return was more than enough to tell. A sudden rush of excitement passed through the dead man, standing up from his seated position with a new energy that wasn't there before.

"I see, I see _indeed!_ After all, I would never give up my executioner's sword so easily, you have to be a relative!" Charles-Henri exclaimed joyously, before a brief amused cough from the armoured man brought down that excitement, the executioner carefully returning the sword to its current owner. "Well? Is it something sort of great great great grandson or something? The flow of time is hard to follow without a calendar at hand and who knows how many children my son produced?"

"I think you'll find it's something a little bit different." The armoured man replied, finally lifting a hand to the helmet resting upon his face. The sound of blades slicing the air started to fill the area, a confused expression appearing on Charles-Henri's face as two latches suddenly became undone. That confusion only grew when the helmet came off fully, the sound of slicing growing louder as the metal protection came off into his hands. An executioner smiled at an executioner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Charles-Henri Sanson. My name is Charles-Henri Sanson."

* * *

"But this should be impossible, they even have a similar fell to their energy; there should be no way to replicate that, even between close relatives." Michael breathed, his mind unable to believe his eyes. Takumi, stood to the side, could only let a slightly pained wry smile appeared on his face; introducing a person to another copy of them was a really strange and interesting thing to watch, when his body was being wracked by waves of sudden sharp pain. "They're one and truly the same man, even if one holds more power than the other."

"Give the man a gold star, well done." The Doctor sarcastically remarked, complete with a clap as he walked forward. "I want to say this is the first time I've seen something like this, but I don't like to lie. Probably the seventh, but you know timelines – they become a little fuzzy when you try and cross them over. Anyway, do you understand the whole Newton thing now?"

Yet the Doctor merely received a blank look in return, a weary sigh escaping the Gallifreyan as he let his palm meet his face. Of course it wouldn't be as easy to understand even for someone who was deeply involved in the supernatural. Well, maybe that was wishing for a little too much; after all, if he knew anything about how the whole servant system actually functioned, then the head archangel would've already noticed it when he came into contact with Jeanne.

"Please, allow me to explain." The Lancer suggested with a smile. "It is rather strange to understand seeing as you've lived with your understanding of the system for so long Lord Michael. I'm sure I can simplify it enough to make sense."

"Yes, I feel that might be necessary." Takumi gave a sigh as his servants took over the explanation; to do that by himself would take far too long considering his own shaky understanding of how it all worked and with his current condition still not at its peak, it would've been far more trouble than it was worth. Resting against a tree nearby, feeling the gentle breeze caress his face, the librarian merely let his body go lax and relax. It was easy to understand why people were happy to spend the rest of their eternal days in a place like this when it was so tranquil, peaceful… perfect.

On the surface, there wasn't much difference to a simple park save for the more golden glow to the clouds above. Brushing his hand across the ground showed that the dirt was the same, the brief noise of chirping passed by his ears and Takumi was pretty sure that he saw a couple of squirrels passing by. Rightfully, it had no reason to be any different to a simple day at the park and yet… there was an indescribable feeling in the air, as if nothing could ever go wrong and there was no need to hold any worries any more. There was nothing to fear, they were safe now and Takumi didn't doubt that the same feeling would be prevalent everywhere else; surely they didn't only have this park after all with the small amount of people Takumi could see.

A sudden gasp by his side however has the librarian opening a single eye, looking in the general direction the sound came from. An initial look didn't reveal anything, but Alice suddenly walked into his field of vision, the surprised visage upon the little Caster causing the brunette to lift himself up.

"What just happened? Did you hear that too?" Takumi asked, but he didn't receive a proper. Instead, Alice merely looked around frantically before practically launching herself into the bush, Takumi blinking before a tired sigh came out of him. "I'm going to regret this, I'm _really_ going to regret this. Alice, wait for me!"

Jack didn't exactly know why her master and Alice had suddenly jumped into the bush, but it made her intrigued. Thus, she followed.

"Alice! Hold up!" Takumi called out, panting. At first, it didn't seem like the Caster servant would ever stop running, but Alice did; right in front of him actually, the librarian giving a grunt as he ran into her back. Despite her short stature, she was surprisingly stable to not react to a full grown man running into her. Jack was silently by her side, but Alice didn't show any reaction to her presence; Jack's eyes narrowed when she looked upon the girl that hid herself behind the tree, the girl that Alice seemed complete transfixed upon.

Takumi watched as the girl hesitantly poked her head out around the back of the tree, the first thing the librarian saw being the bright pink eyes and light grey hair that fell behind her back. Recognition lit up in both her and Alice's eyes, the girl fully coming out from her hiding place as Alice immediately rushed over to grab her in a fierce hug, tearful laughter escaping the both of them. Takumi had to slap the side of his face to make sure he wasn't seeing double; save for the fact that the other girl's clothes were much lighter compared to Alice's, they were practically the same person.

"Alice, I didn't think I would see you again." Alice muttered, Nursery Rhyme nodding emphatically into the lighter dressed girl's hair. "You came back to me…"

"Of course I came back Alice. I promised, we would be together forever and ever!" Nursery Rhyme answered and suddenly, it felt incredibly odd and awkward for Takumi to be standing there with nothing to do apart. "But Alice has gotten a new master now… but he's a really nice man!"

"Really?" And then there were a pair of eyes upon him and Takumi immediately knew there was no escaping at that point. 'So, care to introduce me to Alice… Alice?' was the first thing that came to Takumi's mind, but the librarian wasn't an idiot – such a lame statement would certainly not do for a first impression, even if the two young girls were perfectly happy to do so. "Well it's nice to meet you Alice, my name's Takumi."

"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you!" the girl shyly answered, bowing down into a curtsey with a small smile upon her face. "Alice was my friend on the moon, so it's nice to see she has someone to care for her. Alice was alone for so long, nobody noticed me. I had no home and I was sad for a long, long time. Then Alice found Alice and to belong to and we were so happy. We even had a home."

"That was all we needed. Forever and ever, dancing on the moon. That was all we needed." Nursery Rhyme continued, a sad look appearing on her face, almost bordering a hatred that Takumi had never seen grace her face before. He didn't like it, not one touch. "But then _they_ came. The strange bad woman and her mad emperor. They took away our happiness, she made our story end."

"It wasn't the lady's fault. She had a home to go to - Alice was like a box with nothing inside of it. There was never anything there since the beginning, I was already dead – it was never going to last." Alice added, bowing her head. Takumi reached behind him, carefully withdrawing one of the tissues he had taken from the bedside of his hospital room and wiping away the tears that pricked the little girl's eyes. "Yep, there was no Alice left in Alice. No one treated Alice like a real person. At first, it was the same when Alice came to Wonderland on the moon. Alice was so _alone_."

A wonderland on the moon… Nursery Rhyme had mentioned the moon before too, when she had revealed her true form to him in the hospital.

" _ **This isn't Alice. This isn't the lovely Alice who danced like a ghost on the moon. This is the tattered old book, the stories of a time long gone…"**_

Just what could be up there? How was it possible for a girl to have made it up there? Considering that Nursery Rhyme wasn't exactly a normal person, it was pretty simply to understand how it was possible for her to get there; as a concept, she didn't have to worry about the ability to breathe or mundane stuff like that, so if Nursery rhyme was summoned, there would be no issue. A young girl like Alice however? It made sense that she died if she appeared on the moon, but the way they spoke clearly indicated that it wasn't the distinct lack of oxygen and food that resulted in her death.

"Well it's nice to meet you Alice. You seem like a nice girl." Takumi eventually said, placing a hand upon the young girl's head and giving it a small ruffle, receiving a small pout for the briefest of moments before Alice settled into his palm. "Nurse- _Alice_ is one of the nicest people I've ever met and it's clearly because of you so I should thank you for letting the beautiful her meet the lonely me."

If she called herself Alice, if she shared her appearance with Alice, if she was scared to not be seen as Alice, then the influence that this young girl had was immeasurable upon the Caster servant. Without her influence, she was merely a concept with no concrete form, a ghost with no appearance to latch onto. That also meant that so much of the cheerful young girl, the young girl who loved to have tea parties, make friends and teach Jack how to read, it was all thanks to Alice. It _was_ Alice. To treat her like anything other than family member would be an incredibly injustice in his eyes.

A sudden alarm blaring through the air however brought their cute meeting to a sudden stop, the Archangel standing off to the side with the Doctor and Jeanne starting with a small gasp as he immediately marched over to Takumi, the direst words on his lips.

"The only time that alarm would ring is if there was an emergency meeting being called between the Archangels. It typically shouldn't have been called without my authorisation; this must be of the utmost urgency." The blond man stated, holding his hand out for Takumi to take. Even with a statement like that however, he turned back to where Alice was still holding onto Nursery rhyme's hand, the two girls looking like perfect mirrors of the other's worried expression. Crouching down, Takumi took Alice by the shoulder's a softness entering his eyes.

"I'll make sure you can see your Alice again, okay?" the librarian stated gently, Alice giving a soft nod as she gradually released her iron grip upon Nursery Rhyme's hand, the caster servant just as reluctant to do the same, moving next to the librarian as he took Michael's hand. With the other servants quickly taking a hold as well, Sanson rushing over from his hurried goodbye to his other self to take ahold before a large burst of light took them away.

"A sudden alarm like that is bound to make anyone antsy." Alice turned to where the non-servant Sanson was looking at the spot they disappeared from, a gentle smile upon his face as he crouched down to the young girl's size. "So, you know them too? Are you their friend?"

"…Yes." And so began a friendship that may never have been born had it not been for Takumi and the servants he had summoned.

* * *

"Why has the alarm been rung!?" Michael called out to the gathered Seraphim, the greatest and most important celestial beings Heaven had to offer save for the God of the Bible himself. Looking Takumi couldn't help but be continually amazed by the beauty that the heavenly realm held; a glorious hall of gold surrounded him seemingly endlessly, the splendour far from gaudy. It was the sort of architecture that one could gaze upon forever and never tire of seeing, though the librarian was pretty sure nary a normal soul would be able to see it, not considering the personnel that were gathered within. "What could possibly prove so important that my authorisation was bypassed!?"

"Should you not first explain what these beings are doing in these holy halls?" A calm voice questioned, sat before a book far larger than Takumi could ever hope to read in the entirety of his lifetime and that of most humans. The man sat behind it looked no different to the typical brown haired man, a fairly inconspicuous figure with a pair of simple half-rimmed glasses resting upon his nose, face stoic as he played with the golden quill in his hand. If it weren't for the ten golden wings flaring out behind his back and the halo hovering above his head, then Takumi wouldn't ever believe he could be from Heavenly unlike Gabriel's divine purity or Michael's inhumane charisma. "After all, they are humans and ones still alive at that. They, under normal circumstances, should hold no place in this hall."

"Hold yourself Metatron, they are different to the common layman, for they have achieved even more than the greatest of our priests." Takumi could only blink at that idea, turning to look at the man again. No matter who was speaking, he was constantly writing down within the giant tome of his, his expression unchanging as he gave a small nod and withdrew his complaints. This was the one called the 'Heavenly scribe', the 'Voice of the Lord Himself'? he really did have to change his perception of the religion. "Now, Gabriel. Please, speak."

"We have received news from the beings that exist in Tian, they wish to immediately cash in their favour to request our assistance." The female seraphim answered, far more composed than her typical demeanour. Tian, the Chinese concept of Heaven, built as a parallel to the life on earth with a hierarchy ruled by the holy Jade Emperor. Takumi always wanted to go to China, but there just never seemed to be the time or the money. "It appears they are having struggles with the legendary beast Gonggong and he threatens to push the world off its axis once more. They don't currently have the manpower to stop him however, so they're requesting that we send over assistance."

"Gonggong… from what I've heard, he has been exiled many a time, yet he always seems to return. Such a foe would be mighty; far mightier than any priest we could spare so easily." Michael muttered beneath his voice, Takumi already giving a weary sigh as the leader of the angels turned to him. "However, this may just be the perfect time for you to test your powers and see if you can get them to awaken once more. Tell me, what do you know of the Chinese tales of Gonggong Takumi?"

"Gonggong, a Chinese water god who once fought against Zhurong and Gaoyang in order to claim the heavenly throne. From what I recall, it was those battles that were meant to result in the tilting of the earth's axis and explain why we don't rotate perfectly vertically." Takumi stated, a finger to his chin. Compared to the much more largely known Christianity, his Chinese mythology wasn't so good. "That's about as far as I know."

"That much should be enough for you to make a decision: will you go over to China in our name and assist them in their plight?" it wasn't really a request seeing as they were doing it in return for preventing the world from freaking out about Newton's actions, but Takumi probably wouldn't have said no anyway; if there was anything he remembered from school, it was that the way the universe formed was in perfect balance and messing with it could have tremendous consequences.

"I suppose we're going to have to face a god this time?" Saber muttered with folded arms, a weary sigh escaping him, though no heat entered his words. "I suppose thinking servants would be the worst of our problems in a world like this was a fool's dream. Still, a repeat criminal who threatens the world deserves an execution, god or not."

"I've toppled a fair few gods in my lifetimes, one more can't hurt eh?" came the quip from the Doctor, a bright smile upon his face as Jeanne ruffled slightly beside him.

"While I'm not so sure about toppling Gods, I will protect the safety of the people. If that means fighting this man, then I lend you my standard!" the Lancer declared, her flag already standing as she said so. Takumi didn't even need to hear the words of Jack and Alice to know they too would be by his side – the deal was made.

"We'll do it, but I'd like to make one request." The librarian declared, shrinking back slightly when all eyes turned to him. With such power held behind those looks, it was kind of hard for the man to keep his confidence. "if we do come back alive and successful from this, I'd like to request that we have free access to the Gardens. There is someone close to one of my friends there and I'd like it if they could meet at their leisure."

"Impossible! There are none who are allowed to access the Gardens freely!" a woman cried out. Mint green hair flowed down her back, a tight robe showing off her impressive figure as golden eyes looked down harshly upon the librarian. Her appearance didn't exactly bring any specific seraph to mind, but thankfully Michael spoke up once more.

"If he was to succeed Jehoel, then there would be two examples where he had saved the world along with his… friends." The man began, closing his eyes with a light sigh. So he was still trying to take in the information dump he had received before. "If that is not enough to allow him a simple concession like that, then I don't believe anything will."

"It is not just a 'simple concession', this is an alteration of a time long law!" Jehoel answered back, eyes almost burning - literally. An actual fire was starting to build up where her eyes were and it was only the harsh look of Michael keeping her in place. "Do you truly believe you have the power to grant such a thing?"

"Remember your place Jehoel. It was the Lord's decision to place me in charge after the Great War; he trusted my leadership would be better than what you had shown you were capable of when you were chief." The man coldly spat out, the fires in the woman's eyes immediately dying. All too soon however, that anger was reduced to a calm smile as Michael turned to Takumi. "Your request shall be granted when you return. Gabriel, please take leave and contact the exorcists, have a certain two lend their aid. Xenovia and Irina – you have worked with them before, so you should be able to acclimate to each other much easier."

"Understood."

"Good, then you may leave immediately. I fear we have more… _private_ things to discuss." Takumi didn't need any more warning before he was out of the building Gabriel giving a brief cheerful farewell before she went deeper into the hall. All that was left to do at that point was head out to the entrance, looking out upon the golden city that made out Heaven. A part of the librarian didn't like the fact that they were letting such a dangerous threat as Isaac Newton (boy, that was a phrase he would never get used to) simply walk around, but it was because of the people giving this request that the world hadn't been entirely changed by what they witnessed.

Fortunately this time, the guards had been made fully aware of their departure as the group approached the gate, their tense forms immediately saluting as they approached the gateway. Without a word spoken to Takumi or any of the others, the guards pulled away their lances of light, the golden gate opening with a bright burst of light.

* * *

"China, the Celestial Empire. Seen better, you should try the planet Aslterias, but not a bad place to visit." The Doctor remarked as he tried to subtly scan the golden gate with his sonic screwdriver. _Tried_ being the important word, considering that it was a sonic screwdriver, meaning that ever use of it produced a long drawn buzzing noise accompanied by flashing lights. Whether the guards were bothered or not, Takumi wouldn't know, but the Doctor was clearly not fond of his results, frowning as he gazed upon the item. "Reminds me of the time that Weeping Angels tried to cover the entire Great Wall, now that was a fun time for everybody."

The librarian didn't bother asking him to explain as they all stepped through the light, mostly because there were bigger things on his mind at the moment. Mostly the fact that they were currently falling through the air once more, the incredible rush of wind only exhilarating for a moment before the abstract fear began to kick in again.

"Why did this happen again!?" Takumi tried to yell out over the sound of wind, watching as Charles-Henri began tumbling even faster downward; the weight of his armour served to pull him down at a greater speed. Fortunately, the answer came in the Doctor holding out the sonic screwdriver, its head taking on a rotating green light as the surroundings suddenly began to warp, growing more and more familiar before with a great cry of pain, they all fell onto the TARDIS' console room floor. The fact that it was made out of solid metal certainly wasn't helping anybody.

The Rider of the group immediately headed the controls as a deep whirring began to fill the air, trembles shaking the room as Alice let out a whine, gripping hold of the handrails near the stairs as the world continued to shake. Luckily, it only lasted for a short while before the movements suddenly ground to a halt. Pulling the screen over, a small hum of approval left the Doctor, the man rolling his neck as the others came towards the screen and watched the people gathering around outside, uncertain what the strange blue police box was outside their door step.

"Of course they'd beat the psychic field, why wouldn't they beat the psychic field? It's not as if it works on the majority of the entire universe or something."

But that wasn't the important part, it was the two girls that stepped forward, incredibly amazed by the strange object that had appeared before the Vatican of all places. It was Irina herself who darted forward first, already circling the entirety of the TARDIS before bouncing back towards Xenovia, her eyes practically stars.

"Aw, it's just like the thing on TV!" Irina exclaimed. "When I was in England, there was this TV show that everyone was raving about so I had to watch it, Doctor Who, and it was amazing with all these weird Aliens and… if the TARDIS is here…"

The door slowly creaked open, Irina's excitement only growing as the other gathered exorcists prepared their weapons. There was silence at first as the door hung open, the sound of footsteps approaching forcing their fingers even tighter upon the triggers.

The man who stepped out didn't appear to be too much of a threat, much the opposite in fact. A solemn look upon his face gazed out towards the gathered people and though there was no weapon in his hand, the men surrounding could only find themselves backing away, unable to fire their weapons. His next words however, would change the atmosphere entirely.

"Um… We're here to pick up Irina and Xenovia. We're going to China together."

* * *

 **And with that, let's bring this to an end right now. i actually didn't know it when I came up with the idea, but the most recent Lostbelt introduced to Grand Order is China, isn't it? Hopefully I don't accidentally copy any ideas from that, but being Chinese, I figured it would be nice to explore that kind of religion and Mythology. With their attention forcibly distracted from the enemy servants, the group ends up facing a foe just as deadly if not more and what will the enemy servants do in this time? Please, look forward to the next chapter!**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 **The Laws of Gravity - altered from _a safety advert -ITV_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	19. Chapter 19 - the Heavens

**Everybody, welcome to China! I'm hoping that what I do does the concepts implemented justice, because it's not really something that's explored much in fanfiction, meaning I have quite the bit of leeway when it comes to expressing what it would be in this world. There was something I mentioned quite a while ago, but haven't touched on again until now, but there's a reason: travelling takes a long time and now, there's a fair bit of focus on water. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Harry, cook up a storm! I feel like I'm going to be really hungry after this!_

 _Harry: Just as long as you make sure the world doesn't get destroyed!_

 _Takumi: Trying my best, but we're going up against divine beings..._

 _Harry: You've done it before, you can do it again!_

 _T + H: The story begins! With a magic touch!_

* * *

The Chinese concept of Heaven is rather different to that of the Christian Biblical description. While there were many aspects of the Heaven Takumi saw that were similar to that of the world beneath, it had not always been that way. After all, humans who had passed on to paradise always went to the mythical gardens to spend their eternal days; angels had no need for the luxuries that humanity had developed for themselves and thus many of them went unused save for the times where select Exorcists and visitors, rare as they were, came. There was a clear division between the right hands of the Lord and humanity that only ever occasionally was crossed.

The Chinese Heaven, also known as Tian, was not so.

While the librarian was absolutely amazed by the architecture that surrounded him, it was not for the same reasons as he had been so in Biblical Heaven. It was the pinnacle of Chinese construction indeed, with a grand Palace sat above rows and rows of houses and over buildings as well as many recreational areas, but it lacked a certain… aura of divinity. It was not as if he had entered a divine realm, but instead merely visited a location that was possible to find on earth.

"I was expecting something a bit more… holy." Xenovia muttered as she moved to the side, one of the passing people giving as grateful nod as they passed. "If it were not for the missive you gave us, then I would think this was all a normal city."

"I think you'll find that Tian shares many of the hierarchal systems of China. The Emperor ruling from above, a vast bureaucracy and the people living lives as they did upon the earth." The group turned to where a girl's voice suddenly came, met with a brunette red eyed girl holding a ringed staff – a Khakkhara – that tapped a happy tune against the ground as she walked towards them. The clothes she wore… they couldn't exactly be called normal, navy underwear like garments and leggings hidden beneath a white dress and golden coat. "Some have theorised it's because of the close distance between the mortal world and heaven, where you can fly or jump to it. The Emperor thought you might've gotten lost, so I was sent to find you all! The name's Xuanzang, Xuanzang Sanzang!"

"As in the 'Journey to the West'?" Takumi questioned, receiving a bright nod from the girl. The most famous Chinese Buddhist monk that travelled to India in the seventh century to receive the six hundred and fifty seven different Sutras and establish Buddhism in China; that was who they were talking to it. "I'm honoured to make your acquaintance. But, if each religion truly does have its own afterlife system, then how are you here? Don't Buddhists believe in reincarnation?"

"Those who achieve Vimutti, true release, are let free from the cycles of Samsara and attain nirvana." Xuanzang explained, the prior energy within her voice disappearing as a more mature tone came through. "I was once a person who resided in the great palaces that stand before us, but I can only remember little about it – I was kicked out for some great offence. Once I managed to transcend the eternal cycle, it was deemed that my punishment was no longer necessary and I was once more welcomed within these walls."

This was not the same person documented in that novel. This was the enlightened form of her, the one who had pushed aside all of the poisons of the earth in order to achieve true emptiness and ascend to the rank of Buddha. Absolute wisdom, omniscience – that is what Xuanzang was able to achieve through dedication in her mortal life, now materialised in her presence within the holy realm.

It certainly explained why, when she started to walk forward with a small gesture to the group, the entire street soon parted to make way for Xuanzang and her honoured guests. Every tap of her Khakkhara had more and more people gazing upon her form almost reverently, some even passing along small treats that Xuanzang accepted graciously, her smile seeming to make a couple of men almost faint. Takumi was almost paying more attention to the sight of that than the route they were taking, relatively normal houses giving way to more and more intricately designed buildings.

"I seem to recall a heroic spirit by the name of Xuanzang from… somewhere, yet I can't place the location." Charles-Henri muttered, the man raising his fingers to his chin. "Where I was an Assassin rather than a Saber… but that's impossible. One who has attained the form of a Buddha may not be summoned surely, for the power required to do such a thing is far too great for any system to achieve."

"Well she's standing before us and she definitely isn't a heroic spirit." The Doctor replied, his face growing grim as he watched Xuanzang's back. For what reason, Takumi wasn't too sure, but it seemed to be rather personal, his words filled with a sort of bitterness that the librarian struggled to understand. Not hatred, but… jealousy? "To be able to escape the cycle of becoming a new person, losing all you are as another man waltzes away… a Buddha really has ascended to a different level."

"So what are we here for again? Irina questioned, unable to pull her eyes away from her surroundings. It drew more than a few amused looks from the gradually lessening amount of people around them; while Chinese tourists definitely had one of the worst reputations that could be found among tourists, that didn't mean they couldn't have a little laughter at the expense of those who visited their own territory. "I kind of want to just do a bit of shopping here! Look, they have these cute little dolls!"

"Focus Irina. We're not on a holiday, this could literally affect the entire world's safety!" her partner immediately scolded, a pout coming across the pigtailed girl's face as she shoved her finger directly in Xenovia's face. "Wh-what? Stop acting so childish when we're with important dignitaries!"

"Don't act like you don't think they're cute! It's a Chinese Pegasus thing, how can you _not_ think they're cute?" Irina accused in turn, devolving into a squabble that Xuanzang could only giggle at, Takumi preferring a deep sigh. With a single curious eyebrow from the monk, the man handling the store was more than happy to part with a pair of his wares, Irina now much more placated while Xenovia only blushed deeply.

"I shall leave the recapping to the Emperor Miss Irina, everyone; I'm not good at remembering all these details." Xuanzang stated with a smile as Takumi suddenly felt his jaw fall open. No longer were they met with quaint little houses and stores, but a massive Palace that spread as far as the eye could see, gold, crimson and Jade colouring the entire building. There was no denying such a construct was worthy of residing in heaven; even just gazing upon its magnificence momentarily was enough to make Takumi feel like a peasant. "Come through, come through! The Emperor knows of your arrival, so everyone's already expecting you!"

* * *

The throne room was just as elegantly designed as all the rest, a grandiose seat sitting a man decked out in clothes that probably cost more than Takumi would ever be able to earn in ten lifetimes. Considering the reverence that was shown to him by Xuanzang, quickly copied by the rest of the group however, the brunette promptly decided it was probably best not to voice such remarks in his presence.

There was no speech at first, merely the observing gaze of the Emperor as he steadily stood from his chair. The closer he got, the more his presence made itself known; though it was never in dispute, it was as if all of the cosmos was coming together in order to reaffirm the concept of 'authority' within the man, that not a single word that escaped his lips was to go unheeded. He who was said to have fashioned the first humans from clay, he who was said to have summoned the milky way as a river through heaven that could never be crossed, who granted the animals their hold over the lunar calendar and trapped the four dragons of the sea – the Jade Emperor was not a man to be crossed and every power that may be was doing its utmost best to reaffirm that statement.

"…Rise. You are honoured guests within these hallowed halls." And before Takumi or any of the heroic spirits knew what was happening, they were already on their feet. Only the smallest of smirks upon the Jade Emperor's face showed any of his true emotional state, throwing his arms out wide as he spoke. "Welcome to the Jade Palace: as emissaries of the Christian faction, I welcome you. As proud warriors who have saved the world from doom, I welcome you. I am certain that what you have seen of Tian is only part of the beauty that this realm holds."

Though the 'older' (or at least, older looking) members of the Jade Emperor's audience were able to restrain their awe, Jack and Alice were not so concerned about appearances. They openly gaped at the arms of pure jade hidden beneath the crimson and golden robes the black haired man wore, revealed with his opulent movements. If there was any offence at their gaping, it wasn't shown upon his face, Takumi the first to rise with a reverent tone to his voice.

"I'm not a proud warrior. The people around me are, but not I." the librarian spoke, as formally and respectfully as he could muster. Never before had he been met with such authority, even Michael and Gabriel made him feel more welcomed than this man's presence. This was the difference between an angel, who had been honour bound through a promise with the Lord that they would always bow to a human, and the Jade emperor, who held no such obligations. "However, we will do all that we can to assist, for we are indebted to you for your assistance in preventing the revelation of the supernatural to the world.

"Your humility is assuring, considering the number of those who would bluster with far less power at their fingertips." Came the dignified response, the Jade Emperor returning his hands behind his back. "However, the time for idle chatter is not now. Far more pressing concerns plague the lands of China and indeed, the world; there are nought more prepared to face such a threat as one who has faced a similar threat. Gonggong, a great beast of the waters who only brings strife through his actions. He had a chance to claim the throne, but lost and in his rage, destroyed the Buzhou Mountain, bringing suffering upon the earth."

Buzhou Mountain, the legendary mountain that was claimed to be the pillar which held up the heavens, preventing it from colliding with the earth below. In a fit of anger, Gonggong slammed his head against the mountain, causing the entire sky and earth to tilt in different directions, the sky tilting to the North West and the earth tilting to the South East. That angered and reckless feat, only partially reversed through utilising the legs of the giant turtle Ao, was what characterised Gonggong's being – a destructive chaotic creature who could never do any good.

"Though we have attempted for many years to seal such a horrific beast away, Gonggong always returns, each plan far more devious than the last; now, he threatens the lands of Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou with his schemes." The Jade Emperor spat, perhaps the most emotion he had demonstrated through the meeting. While Takumi only gave a firm nod, it was Alice who spoke up first, and perhaps not in a way that was expected.

"So… they're super important places, right?" it was the special skill of a child, to completely ignore the tension within the room, Takumi immediately tensing when he heard Alice's voice echo around the room. Looking to the Jade Emperor, the librarian most certainly didn't like how dark his face became for a moment, the pressure becoming choking as even Xuanzang lost her casual face. After what felt like hours however, though would only reveal itself to be a few moments, it settled, the Jade Emperor striding into their group to come face to face with Alice, the young girl giving a small grin and a polite curtsey. "Hello!"

"You bear the innocence of my own daughter… if only her rash actions didn't require such drastic consequences." The Jade emperor remarked, gently running his hand along the top of the Caster's head with a smile that overflowed with nostalgia and the slightest regret. "The Islands are the homes of the Eight Immortals, beings who can transfer their power into tools known as the Covert Eight Immortals that can grant life and burn evil. Should Gonggong get his hands on any of them, then I fear there would be little even someone of my strength would be capable of to end his schemes. I task your group with locating Gonggong and preventing the Covert Eight Immortals from ever entering his hand. Should you succeed in this manner, then a feast worthy of the heavens will await you!"

"We need no such reward." Xenovia spoke up, the tip of her blade meeting the ground as she saluted. "In the name of the Christian Catholic church, we shall do all we can to resolve this situation."

"The Protestant church is also here to help! We never turn down someone in need!" the much perkier response of Irina was heard a hand quickly wiping away the drool that marred her lips. Perhaps there was a reason why she didn't openly deny accepting the reward of a feast, though she would conveniently ignore the possibility at all costs.

"And we'll help to. Just tell us where to go and we shall do our best." Takumi promised, the Master holding up his hand as his servants took up a stance around him. The Jade Emperor gave an approving nod, slowly running a finger along his beard. With a clap of his hands, the back doors opened, a feminine figure with hair tied into two buns stepping forward, her spear held close to her side. With a form fitting suit of white and silver, a cape billowing behind her and a dragon head engraved shoulder piece, she cut an intimidating figure, especially with the stern manner in which she held herself.

"The location of such islands are naturally held in great confidence and such, only few know of their location. That is why I entrust two of my closest assistants to this task; Xuanzang Sanzang and Qin Liangyu. One holds great wisdom in life, the other, upon the battlefield. No better advisors could assist you in planning this endeavour."

"As said by my Emperor, my name is Qin Liangyu. I am the leader of the White Cavalry, though beyond that, my deeds are not much to speak of when stood beside such awe inspiring warriors. Allow me to attend to you." Her voice held strength, yet retained a quality of humility; it was a natural result with being faced with a literal Buddha and one of the most powerful figures of Chinese mythology. "I have been informed of where the Islands lay and shall be assisting you in reaching that destination."

"I allow you time to be acquainted. Make wise use of my planning room." The Jade Emperor concluded, an arm held out to where a door gently swung open. With a small tilt of his head, answered with a far deeper bow from both Xuanzang and Liangyu, the man strode out of the room at a leisurely pace, Takumi letting out a vocal sigh of relief once the doors the Emperor moved through closed.

"I understand how you feel. When I was first greeted by the Jade Emperor, I struggled to even form words. You should be proud that you kept your composure." Liangyu praised, stepping backwards towards the doors that had opened onto a bright red room filled with an incredibly long table, chairs surrounding all sides so they could gaze upon the giant map laid out in the middle. "From what I've heard of your feats, I cannot help but feel incompetent; the Jade Emperor calls me a skilled leader, yet I never managed to achieve anything on the scale you have."

"Can we maybe not focus on that? It's getting a little bit embarrassing…" Takumi muttered with an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. At least when he was only known as 'the guy with really powerful friends', it was a minor thing and something that could easily be dealt with. Now, it was a reputation that would most likely come to define every supernatural interaction the librarian made and it would be no easy feat to escape that; the expectations placed upon their shoulders had become far larger than necessary. "So you know how we can get to these islands then? I mean, I doubt they're on any normal map."

"And many supernatural maps as well. After all, these are islands where incredible power is held, if anyone knew where they resided, then we would be faced with far more crises than we could ever handle." Xuanzang interjected, loosely gesturing to the map that was laid out upon the table. "Only this map has the location of them pictured upon it and once we have finished using it, it shall be locked away once more in the deepest, most secure part of the Jade Palace. Even then, the location of the islands are constantly changing due to just what they are situated on."

"I'm assuming this turtle isn't just a pretty metaphor then?" the Doctor mused aloud, wrinkled finger pointing to the intricately detailed creature upon which the islands resided. Even upon the map, it moved as if it were a living creature of ink, carefully swimming around within uncoloured waters. "I'm thinking major misdirection barriers and memory alteration systems; something that size isn't going to be sitting pretty alone without some protection."

"Indeed, Doctor. Many protections have been layered upon Ao, some by him while others by gods, to ensure the safety of those held upon his back. While his legs were used to repair the sky, Ao was able to grow them back and continues to roam the seas with the islands upon his back for further protection." Qin Liangyu explained, a small smile upon her face as she did so. "He is a peaceful beast, even willing to sacrifice his own limbs in order to prevent the suffering of all humanity. If Gonggong wishes to attack the islands and obtain the treasures, then no doubt Ao will fight back. I just fear whether he is strong enough…"

"Well, we have a location and an objective. I'm assuming everyone's committed it to memory?" Takumi questioned, most in the group giving a firm nod. It was only Irina who didn't at first, only holding up a small camera in her hand with an impish smile. "Irina, don't tell me…? Isn't this map meant to be super-secret or something?"

"My apologies, but Irina does tend to be rather forgetful." Xenovia muttered with a sigh, turning away in embarrassment as her partner rubbed the back of her head. "When she's so prone to getting herself lost, it's just become routine for her to take pictures of maps so she has a copy on her at all times."

"Unfortunately, I doubt that will be any assistance in this situation." Xuanzang replied with a small giggle, gesturing her staff towards the small camera. "I do not lie when I say that this map is the only copy to exist and that ever will exist that holds these details. No mortal instrument is capable of copying it."

And indeed, one look at the screen was all that was needed to see ought but a colourful blur, not a single detail distinguishable from the mess. It wasn't a major issue in the long run, not when they had guides to assist them on their journey, but that did mean one thing.

"I assume then the Doctor's TARDIS will also be unable to locate the islands?" Jeanne spoke up, arms held behind her as she admired the map. It was of far better quality than anything she had ever born witness to and probably far more expensive than anything even Heaven held; Tian may have been similar to earth, but that certainly didn't mean that they scrimped on their expenses. "That may prove an issue with transportation then. We'll have to request that of you as well."

"I had expected as such. Therefore, I have sourced the most trustworthy of steeds to assist this mission!" Steeds? That didn't inspire much confidence in Takumi, not with the exuberant smile upon the Buddha's face. It was clearly unplanned, such could be read from the questioning visage of Qin, but Xuanzang gave no worries. Instead, she led them carefully out of the Imperial Jade Palace, Jack being the last one to leave and thus watching the Map practically dissolve into thin air before the door abruptly slammed shut, the Buddha gently tapping her Khakkhara upon the ground outside. In no time at all, neigh could be heard in the distance and a beautiful sight rarely seen even in the depths of Tian appeared before their very eyes.

It was like something out of a story book, Jack, Alice and Jeanne openly gaping while the Doctor's eyebrows rose. A wondrous horde of winged horses landed gracefully before them, dark coats shining under the heavenly light, reflected magically off their draconic scales. Even just being in the presence of the magnificent beasts was enough to inspire complete awe, Xenovia lost for words while Irina was happily squealing at their appearance. Each and every one of the winged horses held their own beauty, their heads held high with pride as they flared out their wings; the people watching them were amazed and they were going to bask in it for as long as possible.

"Ah, it's the same Pegasus as the doll!" Irina gasped as she pulled out the dark doll, holding it up to the light. One of the creatures apparently were quite intrigued to see one of their own so small, cautiously approaching and craning its head around to take as much of the toy in before gently nudging it with its head. After only a moment's hesitation, the pig tailed exorcists was more than equated with the winged horse, happily laughing her head off as she patted its scales and received a long lick along the cheek in gratitude. "Xenovia, you have to try this, it's so much fun!"

"You managed to source us Longma?" Qin remarked in awe, turning with a bright smile to where her fellow advisor of the Jade Emperor was proudly standing before the herd. "So this is the true ability of a Buddha! I have only ever seen no more than two gather at a time, and they are far and few between. To see so many together at once… truly, any who look upon this sight will engrave it forever in their memories! So this is the entrancing ability of a Buddha!"

Takumi suddenly understood the scope of what they were dealing with. Longma, legendary draconic horses born of the immense respect that the Chinese culture held for horses, where a dragon was formed from 'a horse's head and a snake's tail'. Longma themselves were meant to be omens of the arrival of legendary ruler who would bring prosperity and knowledge upon the earth; it was a miracle that this may could be found, let alone tamed.

"There, everything looks set!" Xuanzang proudly declared, only for her brow to furrow and a sigh to escape her; what possibly could she see as wrong with the situation? As long as some doubled up on the backs of the Longma, there were just the right amount for them all to leave. "No… so everyone will gather but you? How spoilt have I made you? Or do you wish to make a grand entrance, Bailongma!?"

And at that name, yet another Longma appeared, on a completely different level to those who came before it. It was no mere Longma, famed as they may be; compared to their dark coats and scales, a creature of purest white came from the distance, larger and faster than any of the others. There was quite literally open gasping from the streets below them, the peasantry unable to turn away as they saw the noble steed arrive at the foot of Xuanzang, taking her ministrations eagerly.

"There! Now everyone should be ready! Let us go, on a journey to the east!"

* * *

"Master. I have brought news of the pirates. They're movements have finally reached Asia." Assassin remarked robotically to her master, the man giving a swift nod. One look was all the ninja needed to see that he was far more tired than usual; he lacked the usual energy that constantly filled his body and from the bas beneath his eyes, he had been at work for most of the night. "If I understand correctly, they will be aiming for the Yellow Sea to attempt to attach the ships that move through there. They will then move from China to Japan."

"The plans have moved up. I want you and Caster to move to China and earn the assistance of those pirates. We cannot afford to underestimate our fellow performers on this stage of life." Her Master called out, the sharp rap of his cane upon the floor cracking like thunder. "If they are servants, and they no doubt are, then their skills with their ship no doubt makes them Riders; with them, all I will need to do is find my Saber servant and then all shall be complete. There will be none who can challenge my power… unless you and Caster screw up. Do _not_ let such a situation occur."

And with no more instruction, her master stormed off, leaving the assassin to give a small bow to the spot where he had been and swiftly moving through the shadows until she found herself within a dark room, lit only by the monitors. Gently pushing past the various origami constructs that coated the floor and shelves, Assassin slowly lowered herself beside her fellow servant, unblinking as she watched tender hands turn simple pieces of paper into wonderful artworks.

"What does he want us to do now?" Caster muttered, a gentle wave of her hand over the newly born origami fox causing it to slowly begin moving, like a new born only just getting used to their own limbs. It was an intriguing sight for the Assassin to watch, the fox joining its many brethren as they celebrated a new member joining their numbers. It was a shame that they would soon be sent into the world beyond as spies, soon destroyed when their master inevitably became annoyed by the paper creatures. "I'm kind of busy trying to rebuild my collection after the last time our master tried to use them."

"He has given us a new directive. We are to travel to China and earn the assistance of the pirates travelling in that direction, assumed to be servants." Assassin explained, unprepared for the response her words would receive. There was a second of bored acknowledgement, only for Caster to turn her face towards Assassin in shock, transforming into a beautiful smile that was growing rarer and rarer by the day. With no reaction as Caster suddenly grabbed her shoulder, the Assassin merely sat silent as she began to rant.

"He wants us to go _independently_ to a country _far away_ to meet with servants who _don't_ work with him already? This is perfect, we can finally get away!" the bat like Caster exclaimed excitedly, hugging her fellow servant with glee. "Yes, we can finally leave this messy hole and get some help with stopping this horrific stuff! With our master's attention focused on that enemy Master, we might just be able to escape! We could even take Lancer with us! We'd practically be unstoppable!"

"Lancer will not be available to assist us with this order. She is currently held on standby in case her use is necessitated by the enemy master's actions." Assassin shot the thought down quickly. It brought a frown to Caster's face temporarily, but with the news she had just been given, it was only going to last for the smallest amount of time.

"Then we'll just have to come back for her later, when our master is too busy to deal with us breaking her out." Caster declared resolutely, a stark contrast to her usual morose and whiny mannerisms. "This is our chance to finally make a difference and we get to move immediately! I mean, we're going to have to find these pirates first and that's going to be… difficult to say the least. But if we can at least convince them that it would be beneficial to them to go against our master, then this just might be enough force to at least stage an ambush attack."

It was causing an internal war inside of the Assassin class servant; her directives within her dictated that she was meant to follow her master's orders to the tee and there was no room for questioning them. If she followed along with Caster's desires, then she would be in direct violation of the codes upon which she existed as a shinobi's tool.

However, the memory of what he had ordered done upon Lancer, a tragic heroine in her own right, immediately pushed its way to the forefront of Assassin's mind. How he had risked the entire world for the sake of his own ambitions, ambitions that he refused to disclose to even his own servants. Her master was no doubt a sick man and even if he bore the command seals that dictated that she was his servant, it felt wrong to continue acting beneath a man who was willing to do such vile acts.

Besides, his orders had never dictated that the Assassin had to actually bring the two servants to work under her master. All that he had told her was to earn their assistance and that could be interpreted as their assistance to Assassin. In the world of technology, even one misinterpreted line could cause an entire program to function differently to the intended purpose and a servant, who was by no means just a normal machine, was just the same. It was why she was resolute when Assassin gave a nod to Caster, the two planning to leave for China as soon as possible.

* * *

"Look at the loot we've got here! This summoning has been way better than anything else we've been in, right?" a crimson draped captain roared as she lugged the cargo onto their own vessel. It was a beauty of a catch; their actual target had managed to escape them as a different ship caught the pirates' eyes, the large amount of food they were aiming for immediately replaced by the expensive jewellery that was being transported. They weren't suffering for food, the wine and bread still flowing plentifully, so why pass up a far better reward? "In this competition of ours, it appears that I've managed to take the lead when it comes to treasures."

"That's an unfair comparison. I've been steering the ship." The smaller of the two complained, little more than a mutter as she spun the wheel. Their ship was barely more than an antique, rarely a ship so old ever sailing the seas with the grace that theirs did. While the two pirates held no qualms over commandeering more modern vessels, the beauty of a ship had been put out in preparation for an anniversary journey; it just so happened that they managed to get at the wheel before any of the guards could recover from their beat down. "The difference isn't even that big either. With my handicap, I'd say I'm still winning."

"Well then, we'll just have to continue the pillaging when we reach our next destination." The captain explained with a small giggle, planting a gun almost the same size as herself upon the deck. "It's kind of strange being the captain for once. We never did get the chance to be captain on our old ship after all."

"We might as well have been. Our old captain was a coward, barely a pirate." Came the answer, the words 'old captain' coming out like a curse spat into the water. All three of them were famous for their exploits, but while they would remain in the history books as legendary pirates who fought to the very last moment for what they believed in, their old captain would be forever known as the coward who took the term pirate to its lowest point, cowering away the moment that he came into danger. "Land looks to be far away. I can't see any ships either."

"Awe, I was looking forward to a bit more fun." The captain whined, leaning against the side railings of the ship. "I guess we've rampaged a little too much, everyone's too scared to come out and play on the seas."

That was putting it lightly, to say the least. After their actions, there would be a severe increase in the number of armed guards aboard all transport vessels across the world, all fearing the sight of a ship that was well past the years of its prime bearing only two women upon its decks. People in the future would laugh at the time where those who lived upon the sea, said to be the most vicious and toughest people you could ever hope to meet, were scared by two women and an old boat.

Until that point however, every ship would have at least two guns.

"Hmm… do you think this one suits me?" the captain question, throwing her arms wide as a necklace of gold sat upon her chest. It held a gem within its centre, one that the captain nor her partner knew anything about; so long as it was real and thus worth the money that was expected from it, they didn't care what it was. The only response that the captain got was a small scoff. "Come now, that's not very nice! I think it suits me!"

"You're not a jewellery person. Why do you care now?" came the scathing reply, a pout coming onto the crimson captain's face as she removed the necklace, returning it to where she found it. That was the polite way of putting it at least; throwing it over her shoulder and hoping that it landed back in the box was more truthful. "…Do you feel that?"

"What do you mean?" but then it was there – a feeling beyond that of the natural seas suddenly came over the captain, her expression growing grim as she looked to the sky. It was still completely cloudless, but with a sweet breeze that blew them along, but that was not what her senses were saying. "I see. Something's not right with the waters. Like… some sort of warning, it seems."

"What do you want to do about it?" it didn't show on her face, but the captain's partner was actually quite concerned; a troubled life had led her to be far more skilled in detecting danger than her fellow pirate. It would take a moment of contemplation before a bright grin made its way back upon the captain's lips, a finger thrust forward as the ship gained in speed.

"Full speed ahead! If anything's going to stop us, it'll have to get past our bullets!"

* * *

 **And this chapter will have to end here! Of course, the pirates make their dramatic return, after being mentioned a couple of times only! I really like the character of Xuangzang, but this is the version of her that is impossible to call upon; the true Buddha that the caster servant Xuanzang is destined to become. I like to wonder just how that would changer her personality and how it wouldn't. Of course, i also couldn't do a section of China and not include one of the China servants, though as the actual person rather than a heroic spirit, in this story, - the soul of Qin Liangyu resting in heaven now descends from above! Please, tell me what you think of this chapter.**

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 **The Laws of Gravity - altered from _a safety advert -ITV_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	20. Chapter 20 - the islands

**We have returned! From what I understand, the reception has been mostly positive... but I've been called a scam. I guess I can see where that's come from, for it claims that this feels like a Grand Order story that just so happens to be made in DXD and with the number of characters I've inserted, I can understand where they come from. However, I wonder whether it would be worth changing the title and summary because I don't believe it give's off a majorly wrong impression. I'll leave that decision to you - please review and tell me if you think the title and summary should be changed and if it should, what should the title be? As a result of another eview, I have also updated Sanson's profile in chapter 17 for clarity. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Ren, don't fall for the deal with the devil! You'll be surprised by what happens..._

 _Ren: Trust me, I've made far too many deals with devils to count! You should watch out for something immortal!_

 _Takumi: They have no reason to be hostile... do they?_

 _Ren: Always be prepared; surprises lay around every corner!_

 _T + R: the story begins! Break the chains!_

* * *

The sweet melody of a sheng filled the cold air as birds settled down within the branches above, entranced by the melodies that floated skyward. It had become a part of their daily routine at this point; no matter the weather, the beautiful woman would come and seat herself upon the stone, overlook the lotus pond and play whatever harmony she so desired on that day. A sense of purity and relaxation permeated her surroundings whenever she did so, a melancholic smile upon her pale face as she watched the birds slowly fall into place around her. With little else to do in their primitive lives, it was easy for the birds to follow their instincts and listen to the tune that woman produced.

Moreover, the woman was happy too, for there was an audience. Music was a vessel for emotions and feelings after all and without an audience, those unspoken words would simply fade into the atmosphere unnoticed and upon a near empty island, there were very few who would be able to hear her song. The birds always came to her however and though they may not have been the most intelligent of creatures, they still made for wonderful companions. Though they could communicate through no more than chirps, there was always the underlying sense that they had heard what the woman was hoping to convey and understood; that was far more than anyone else had given her for many a year save for the few times that _they_ gathered.

The tune soon came to the end, the light chatter of the birds above her replacing what would normally be a grand applause from whomever was fortunate enough to hear such an endearing song. Pale hands gently placed the golden instrument to her side, the woman about to fall into the next part of her routine that came without fail – her meditation – where for what may have been the first time since she arrived at the island she now called home, a squawk from above drawing her attention to where the most faithful of her companions flew overhead, gliding down to stand before her.

"What could worry you so Huang?" the woman whispered, her question barely heard over even the sounds of the nature surrounding. She needed not a verbal reply; she needed not even ask her question aloud, for the connection between master and familiar would have made it more than trivial to simply communicate within their minds, yet with so few occasions to do, the woman needed to exercise her voice lest she lose it forever. The answer came in a series of squawks from Huang, the woman's face growing curious as she looked to the sky.

Not a cloud to be found, but quite a few flying horses.

"…I see. Perhaps we may have to postpone our meeting." The woman mused as she turned up to the other birds that remained, bowing slightly to gain their attention. "May you please spread the message? There are strange visitors to our peaceful islands send the warning; though they do not understand you as I do, they will no doubt be able to comprehend the warning you bring."

And so the flock flew off, a veritable cloud of birds spreading outward in order to reach every corner of the islands that they could ever hope to reach; though the residents save for those who exposed themselves were incredibly difficult to chance upon, the likelihood of them hearing something with their warning called out to the entire island had to be reasonable, surely. Thus, the woman showed no concern as she turned around, grabbing the sheng and retreating into the forest surrounding; from the position of the fliers, they were bound to land nearby and mouths became looser when they thought they were alone.

* * *

Takumi thought the island was beautiful and there was not a single soul beside him that thought otherwise.

The majority of the island looked completely untouched by the hands of man, plant life able to flourish far beyond what even the most impressive forests and jungles the common man could find had been able to produce; a deep breath was all that was needed in order to feel how fresh the air was and as they descended further and further towards the islands, a natural sense of peace and tranquillity made itself apparent within the librarian's soul.

The mountain itself however? That was a completely different story. Upon its peak sat a magnificent place formed of gold and platinum; far from the majesty that formed the Jade Emperor's Imperial Palace, but certainly nothing to scoff at. A closer look at the trees upon the mountain showed that unlike the bountiful fruits that grew upon the trees that formed the forest surrounding, there was something far different upon the branches of the mountainous trees. Holding on for dear life, the librarian watched as his longma drew him closer to the mountain for the briefest of moments, a shimmer of emerald entering his vision – they were not fruits at all, but literal jewels.

"Welcome to Penglai! I suppose being Japanese, you would know this place as… Horai, if I remember correctly!" Xuangzang cheerfully greeted, landing with elegance as she leapt off the back of Bailongma. The others were… not so graceful. While Charles-Henri, the Doctor, Jeanne and Liangyu dismounted without issue, Xenovia and Jack's unfamiliarity with the art of equestrian skills meant they required a little assistance in order to properly lower themselves down. Irina and Alice merely just didn't wish to get off. "I figured this was a good place to start; if my timing is correct, they should all be gathering for one of their meetings and even if we can't find them, there should be… _him,_ I guess we can trust. As a last resort. If there _really_ isn't anyone else we can find."

It was strange to see the brunette Buddha suddenly become so soured face when she had been the epitome of cheerfulness and serenity. Sure, it had been broken momentarily when faced with the Jade emperor's power, but that was only out of fear for the fate of a young girl who spoke out of hand by accident; to know that there was someone who could make someone so friendly treat them with such contempt made Takumi shudder to think just what kind of person he could be.

"I assume then, we'll be moving towards the palace?" Xenovia spoke up, her hand resting gently upon the hilt of her blade. Her expression was trying to remain serious, but the very air seemed to be fighting her at every opportunity – it was as if there was … something, trying to enforce upon them that there was to be no conflict, not even if the blade was held in preparation to defend oneself. While Alice and Jeanne looked perfectly fine as they gazed at the wild life surrounding, Charles-Henri and Xenovia looked a little more than put off as they found themselves unable to even think that they should be holding their blades in defence before the breeze was whispering in their ears that there was no need. "If they are meeting, then it would make sense. It would also be an appropriate place for an official interaction between the church and these immortals."

"…Hey Jack, are you okay?" Takumi questioned at the girl's sudden shiver, only for his alarm to grow when all of a sudden the small assassin fell to the ground, curling up into a shivering ball upon the ground. Silent cries escaped her throat as Takumi tried his best to find any sort of cause, but just like whatever caused the others to tense up, there was seemingly nothing wrong. "Jack, what's happening!?"

"Cold… so cold…" was all that Takumi was able to coax out before Jack fell silent, grabbing her head and shaking it furiously. It only subsided slightly as Xuanzang approached, kneeling and placing a hand soothing upon the assassin's back. With words unheard spoken beneath her breath at an incredible speed, Jack's shivers soon found themselves reducing until they barely remained, Takumi breathing a sigh of relief. "Tried to… it tried… to force Jack… to disappear…"

"There is no pain, there can't be; the mystic islands are areas where pain cannot exist. Therefore, it is impossible to heal her for there is nothing to be healed." Xuanzang spoke, barely taking a breath between speaking aloud and continuing with her near silent chanting at untold speeds. Takumi would have said it was impressive to watch, if it weren't for the concern clouding his thoughts. "What this young child experiences is fear, fear of annihilation and disappearing. _That_ is something that I can help with. The Buddhist path is acceptance of the concept that suffering is caused through craving sexuality, acquisition of identity and fear of annihilation and that suffering can be ended. Though as a Buddha, I would prefer it if people found out that truth for themselves, I can temporarily impose that understanding on people like this child. If she doesn't care about sexuality and m powers mean she does not fear annihilation and she doesn't wish to know the truth of her identity, then she will not suffer, however temporarily. If we can find the source that causes her fear of annihilation, then we may more permanently put her at ease."

"…Here!" and before anyone else could speak, a spear borne from fraxinus like those used to drive off many a bandit struck out, Liangyu grunting as it met an iron crutch that quickly twisted it away from the target's bod. Nimble arms pulled the weapon back, thrusting forth once more only to stop right beneath the chin of the man, mere seconds after he held his hands up in surrender. He wasn't much to look at, an old frail slip of a man who looked like he was about keel over at any moment if it weren't for the crutch holding him up, but the giant gourd upon his back brought up quite a few questions, especially with the small cloud that seemed to form upon its top. "Tell me, would _you_ happen to know why she's been placed in such a state?"

"Well, its evil, you know? Pure evil!" the old man cackled, leaning against one of the nearby trees for support. With every step forward the man took, the further Jack tried to push herself into Xuanzang's bosom, the old man taking far too much joy in slowly leaning forward and closer to the little assassin. It was only when he found a librarian standing in his way that he stopped, a small scoff coming from the old man. "Come on, you've got to feel it, right? All those suffering souls stuffed into one package, focused on killing and killing; it's practically screaming evil! Wouldn't have responded to my gourd like that if it wasn't!"

"…Li Tieguai, isn't it? You're Li Tieguai." Takumi realised, the name having only been introduced to him recently. The Iron Crutch Li, a legendary magician who was able to separate his soul from his body in order to ascend to the celestial realm to converse with those who no normal human would ever be able to meet in their life time. Returning to find his body burnt by a disciple who thought his soulless body dead and taking the form of a lame beggar, Tieguai was famed for appearing to those distressed or ill and curing their ailments, much the opposite to what he was doing here. "That Gourd's meant to ward off all evils."

"Got it in one kid! Now, how about you let me deal with that thing? You'd be doing it a favour, really. Souls aren't meant to be stuck in one body like that." Tieguai declared, only for a bony arm to be caught before it could reach Jack. Brown hair shadowed eyes empty of emotion as Tieguai looked upon Takumi, the crutch user giving a sigh as he tried to pull his arm out of the surprisingly strong grip. "Come on, that thing's going to be suffering until you let the souls within it free. Do the right thing for it."

"…It…thing…Why are you treating her as if she's an abomination, as if Jack has no right to exist?" Takumi questioned, his voice becoming hard as his grip tightened as far as possible. There was something that prevented him from pressing down as hard as he would've liked, no doubt whatever magic allowed the island to be called a place without pain, but the sheer emotion within such a gesture couldn't be ignored. "Sure, she may have done some bad things in the past, but that doesn't matter here. She has helped save the world, literally; that has to mean something, right? The least you could do is at least refer to her like a living being, not 'it' or 'thing'!"

"Takumi." it was spoken without any sort of emotion within it, but the librarian recognised an order when he was given it, stepping back and drawing Jack closer to him as he moved away from Tieguai, the beggar chuckling as he did so. It was clear that the tension still wasn't completely gone, Xuanzang giving a small sigh as she stepped forward. "My apologies, but I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from either of you, even if you are an immortal. Children are children! But we're not here for that; we wish to warn all of the immortals about the danger they'll be in, aren't they meeting around this time here?"

"Meeting? We were meant to until you lot started flying about like headless chickens." Tieguai muttered, gesturing to the horde that remained happily grazing upon the grass – it was one of the best meals they ever ate on earth without a doubt. "Imagine how the others are meant to feel when they see you lot rocking up to our island, armed and looking ready to fight a war. Bunch of birds have been screaming their warning as far as they can."

"And are you incapable of communicating with them?" Jeanne questioned, the Lancer lowering her standard as she did so. "Surely if you're able to send warnings, then we can achieve the same thing to ease their worries?"

The French woman's suggestion earnt her another round of laughter from the immortal, Jeanne pouting as the man resituated himself upon the crutch's support. She wasn't too sure what she had done to earn such laughter, but kept herself quiet as the man wiped away the tears that appeared.

"Look, I may be a miracle maker, but I can't make _every_ miracle." The old man explained, his eyes falling closed as he placed his hands together. The only warning they had was a small wisp of power dancing around his joined palms before his body slumped over, completely devoid of life. The sound of buzzing filled the air as the Doctor's sonic screwdriver came over the body, a growing grin appearing on his face as he looked upon the results that appeared.

"If we're going by the clinical definition, then this man is completely dead – no pulse or brain activity to speak of." The alien muttered, stepping back as the body suddenly leapt back its feet Tieguai cracking his neck as he used his crutch to get back onto his feet. "I've seen people who can take control of another's body, but this is almost the opposite. Stepping out of your body like the clothes you wear. Not the weirdest thing I've seen, but still intriguing."

"Thank you very much, I'll be here all day! And night, well, all the time really!" Tieguai pompously declared complete with an overly exaggerated bow as he leant back against the tree. "But seriously, just took a little walk around. You're not finding any of them for a while around here. Beyond my ability to leave my body and sense celestial beings, I've got nothing when it comes to tracking them. You're on your own, so better start tracking."

"Well, all my systems are still scrambled when it comes to tracking, I'm lucky to even have the health check system." The Doctor muttered, waving the sonic screwdriver as if it were a simple toy and in this kind of situation, it really was. "You wouldn't happen to have another magical map that can just so happen to scan the area and find them would you?"

"Ha! If you think something as simple as a map could hold our locations, then your old age must be getting to you!" the taunt from Liguai had the Doctor momentarily stunned; there were very few who ever had the gall to insult his age, for it had allowed him to learn many a thing no normal man would ever hope to comprehend. To have it so easily dismissed had his frown growing in slight anger. "There are a couple things you could do to find them… but most of them time, we don't tend to leave much of a trail. We would be pretty bad at hiding if we were that obvious after all. Let's see… probably should try focusing on flowers and birds. That's your best bet."

"That doesn't exactly narrow down our options." Irina muttered as she looked out around them. With so much flourishing all around them, there wasn't exactly a lack of birds or flowers to inspect and if Tieguai's own words were to be trusted, then it wouldn't be as simple as something glowing or a huge flood of animals. "We could be here forever at this rate, they might as well just be walking into danger."

"Then we have little time to waste standing around. I trust that you can still be found here when we return?" Charles-Henri declared, turning with a pointed glare to the immortal who gave nought but an unrepentant shrug. A withered sigh escaped both the executioner and his master. "Then we should make our move. We have multiple islands to explore and I feel as if the sun is soon to set."#

"Have fun! Oh, and if you happen to come across a particularly sweet scent… well, you're better of running for your life, at least while you still have that thing by your side." Tieguai warned, the old man falling to the ground with a sigh, looking as if he was almost asleep immediately. His eyes remained open just long enough for him to point towards a still unsettled Jack in Takumi's hands with an unsettling grin, completely unrepentant for his treatment of the young girl. "She won't last a second against that beast."

* * *

Before they even landed upon the deck of the ship, two guns aimed at Assassin and Caster, ready to fire at a moment's notice and the two servants had no doubts that they would most certainly be dangerous if not fatal shots should they land. Still, they made no moves to do anything, Assassin slowly raising her hands without a single twitch.

"Well, look what we've got here. Normally people are a little more cautious when it comes to boarding a pirate's ship. Tell me, what do you think you're doing acting like this is some sort of cruiser?" the captain questioned, stepping forward until the barrel of her blunderbuss was resting just above Assassin's heart. A glimpse at the completely passive face that returned her look brought a smile to the captain's face, no matter if her companion was a little twitchier. "Well, you have guts; I can appreciate that much at least. Doesn't mean we don't want answers."

"We invoke the right of parley! Right? That's how you do it, right?" Caster quickly spoke up and for the smallest moment, it seemed as if the request wasn't going to pass. It was only once the one steering the boat lowered her weapon and returned to the wheel did her partner lower her blunderbuss, stepping back with folded arms. Her casual stance wasn't fooling anyone; she was still perfectly ready to fire at a moment's notice, but at least it was a little further away than it had been. "We can tell you're servants, you know we are too. We're not here to fight."

"Of course you aren't, that what parley means." The red captain scoffed, spitting over the side of her ship. "Make this quick; there's something wrong with the waters and we don't want to be here when that thing makes itself welcome; how do we know we can trust you?"

"… A servant's most important secret." Assassin's voice was quiet, but held no less conviction than before, amber eyes almost glowing in the darkness that grew with the setting sun. It didn't take much more than that sentence alone to make both of the pirates pause, Caster giving a small gulp as she nodded to Assassin. If this went downhill, then they really wouldn't have the advantage anymore. "My name is servant Assassin… Danzo Kato. Servant Caster…Osakabehime."

One was a flourishing spy and thief operating in the Edo period, known only for the fact that she existed and did her task as a shinobi well, for what little could be learned of her actions were forever shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. All that people of the time and beyond could say for definite was that Danzo favoured the use of karakuri dolls in her techniques, but even that is not the truth; those rumours were borne of the fact that she _herself_ was a karakuri doll forged by an ancient sorcerer.

The other was a yokai once enshrined as the ruling spirit of Himeji, who could be found haunting the castle. She, who was able to read a person's heart and learn of their true desires, she, who could then manipulate a person and twist them in any manner that she pleased; that was the deity that had taken the form of a nine tailed kitsune that had made her home on Mount Hime.

"…Well, wasn't expecting that. You did that because now we're obliged to give our own in return, didn't you?" the red captain remarked, the smirk remaining upon her face. With the knowledge of the world that was granted to all servants that were called back to the realm of the living, it was easy to determine what a heroic spirit's weaknesses was when their name was known and thus, they were usually held in great secrecy. Already, the captain was aware of what Danzo and Osakabehime was capable of and while the Caster may not have much to show, the karakuri shinobi was no simple opponent. She shrugged; it wasn't as if there was much to say about their own identities anyway. "Hey, Mary, you think we can give up the game?"

"No reason not to Anne. You've already given it up anyway." and with that, Caster quickly came to a realisation. Two of the most famous female pirates to ever sail the seven seas, growing in fame beyond their captain as they fought with relentless abandon in order to reign supreme in the golden age of piracy. With how they worked together, there was no doubt just who they were.

Anne bonny, the daughter of a wealthy person, born into a prosperous household, but a natural hooligan. In the end, she eloped with a good-for-nothing man, a small-time punk by the names of James Bonny. She would later separate from said punk and joined with the man who would soon become her next (and perhaps her worst) lover, John Rackham, becoming one of his crew and sailing off to the Caribbean to rampage more as a pirate.

Mary Read, who worked on a Dutch ship after disguising herself as a man and slipping into the ship as one, before on a certain day, as she was in the process of working, she was captured by Rackham's pirate group and was forced to become one of their crew members. Having been raised as if she were a man within her own household, it had taken little change in order to fit into a life of piracy.

Together, they would form a duo whose passion went beyond the limit of mere lovers, planting themselves in history as the greatest female pirates to ever live, on the same level as even the greatest of male pirates and explorers. Devoted to their jobs as pirates, they fought until the very end even when the rest of their crew cowered away under the assault of privateers, the two dragged to their sentences with war cries on their lips and blood not of their own staining their clothes. Alone, they were formidable. Together, they were unstoppable.

Upon the sea, there was very little that could even hope to stop them.

"Well, now that we're all introduced, how about you start on why you instigated a parley?" Anne prompted, her friendly demeanour still quite the contrast to how she fingered the blunderbuss in her grip. "After all, we're still on a boat in the middle of nowhere, where it was two pirates compared to two who were far out of their comfort zone. If we don' like what you have to say or get annoyed, no one will be able to help you."

"We're not going to lie; we have been tasked by our master to try and recruit you to our side." Osakabehime stated, curling into herself when the two's expression suddenly became far harsher. "But we're not going to do that! In fact, we were kind of hoping for the opposite. Our master… he's a mad man. We have no clue what his aims are, the orders he gives are excessively cruel and he's obsessed with toying with lives for his own entertainment until they prove to be no more fun and then he kills them. That's not the kind of master I want to serve. The only issue he has other servants who will follow his orders, whether they want to or not."

Danzo merely remained quiet; the way she had been formed meant that the concept of fighting against the orders given to her by her master was something that was to be avoided at all costs. Trying to stick to the instructions in the vaguest way possible was the only reason why she was still able to stand as sure as the conversation carried on. There had never been anything that explicitly stopped her from mentioning what class they were or their names.

"Sounds rough, but what do you expect us to do? We're not miracle makers." Mary spoke up, Anne nodding in agreement. The white haired girl didn't speak loudly, nor with much care in her voice and the explanation that Osakabehime gave wasn't exactly helping out when it came to convincing them. While they were indeed heroic spirits, they were still only renowned as pirates who fought fiercely. There was no major abilities that stood out among their deeds and even when they fought their most ferociously at the very end of their lives, it had ultimately ended in failure. Against other servants, they would be at a natural disadvantage if it came down to a direct conflict.

"Mary's right – we would love to help, but we also don't want to waste this chance at living!" Anne happily declared, uncaring for the falling face of Osakabehime as the pirate turned away. "After all, we have no idea if we're going to have a chance like this again and until we know that there's a better chance of us living and winning, we're not going to risk our lives again. We learnt the first time. Have fun though!"

But as soon as Anne finished, a sudden wave crashing against the hull of the ship rocked the vessel far more than usual three servants left to stumble about as Mary tried to regain control of the ship. It was not to be however, for the waves smashed against them with all the might the ocean could muster, the short grey haired girl wincing as the wheel was used for little more than keeping her standing upright.

"This isn't normal!" was all that she could afford to get out before a wave far larger than imaginable suddenly rose above them, towering high for longer than gravity should've allowed. With no time to question it however, tendrils shot like bullets towards them, not even the magically enhanced wood able to withstand the might of the water as it pierced holes and prepared to let in more. "We're going down!"

The last thing that Danzo and Osakabehime saw before blissful unconsciousness took them was the water surrounding their bodies like an iron grip, refusing to let them go as their bodies were tossed about like little more than ragdolls.

* * *

 _In eternity's book, we're but a page,_

 _A brief cameo on the earth's grand stage._

 _We watch as so many moments pass by,_

 _Like so many birds flying through in the sky._

 _The end is clear, of that we know,_

 _For it is certain where we'll go,_

 _But there's one thing that should be known_

 _Before all of those birds have flown._

 _Our lives have a special charm you'll find_

 _If you keep history's scale in mind._

 _Those birds are precious, our time a gift_

 _When we understand how they are swift._

 _Know that life will slip away:_

 _Second by second, day by day,_

 _And then you'll come to understand_

 _That the time we're given is a gift that's grand._

As her song died down, the young girl pulled her hood tighter against her face, giving one last stroke to the flowers surrounding her before rising to her feet. A shiver passed along her spine; it was far colder than it would usually be at that point of time and there was little reason to believe that the cold season had come early. Drawing her tattered blue robe closer to her, the hooded girl found herself attracted to the sound of waves coming towards the island, a very odd thing considering that it was incredibly hard for anything to reach the islands by boat alone. After all, being carried upon the back of the great turtle Ao, it was easy to be pulled away whenever any vessel got closer to the islands with bad intentions. With the movements of the water around them however… it was as if they were actually moving closer to the wreckage that she could see in the distance, for it was moving abnormally fast towards the shore.

It was clear that the ship that had come close had been a large one from the huge amount of debris that was left floating in the ocean, but that wasn't the part that caught her attention. No, the hooded girl was focused more on the bodies that could be found within the floating woo, no doubt the ones who were meant to be responsible for piloting the vessel. If she left them long enough, they would no longer be her concern and as Ao continued on his gentle pathway, they would be left to at the bidding of the waters. The hooded girl had nothing to lose from such an act; if fate had deemed them ready to die, then there was no reason to hold them from the beauties of the afterlife. But then, she truly looked at them and her mouth fell.

They were no ordinary people, but pure energy, magic given concentrated form that just so happened to take the form of a human; considering all the various horrific things that could be born from such a thing, it was actually quite the positive result in the hooded girl's eyes. With that fact in her mind, she couldn't help herself as she started treading from wood piece to wood piece, lightly enough to avoid even the slightest of ripples in the water as she observed the unconscious spirits closer.

It was easy to see how two of them had managed to be formed, the hooded girl gently reaching out to run her finger across the ethereal thread that flew invisible to lands far away, no doubt to the one who had given them form. From what the hooded girl could sense of their being, aspects of humanity had been imprinted upon pure magic, giving birth to essentially the human that had been drawn from on a far greater scale than they could ever hope to achieve naturally.

The other two however were different in a rather puzzling way; the hooded girl was forced to step back when she felt the tendrils of power flickering towards her. Unlike the others found alongside them, there was no bond that held them anchored to this land. Sure, a bond passed between them, but that was no way to generate the magic required in order to keep them sustained – that was essentially trying to plug a socket into itself to generate electricity. Suddenly, the hooded girl was faced with a dilemma: leave them as they were and wait for them to inevitably drown or dissipate into the magic they were borne from, or help them onto the island?

A low hum of indecision escaped the hooded girl as she looked to the slowly moving land behind her. While it was possible for her to try and remove their memories of the islands if they had bad intentions, she wasn't the most skilled of the eight immortals and to do so required time. Considering that she wasn't the best fighter in addition, it meant that if they were aiming to lure her into a trap, she would be in a disadvantageous situation. Then again, they were also spirits and it was rare for anyone save for that annoying Tieguai to get the opportunity to communicate with spirits. Sure, her own flowers allowed her communication with the gods themselves, but recent times had brought silence, no matter what the hooded girl tried.

"…Do not make me regret this." It was only once she tried to lift more than one that she cursed her youthful body, a body that lacked the strength to carry them all at once. Fortunately, there had been enough supplies floating in the water to fashion a sort of raft, the hooded girl delicately placing her flower basket upon the makeshift boat before carelessly shoving the others' bodies on. From there, it was only a small push until they made it to shore.

Anne was the first to wake from her slumber, met with the curious gaze of a young pink haired girl sitting by a fire with a hood draped over her face, the embers gently roasting a rather sizable chunk of meat. Wiping away the small trail of drool that just so happened to pass by her lips, the pirate immediately turned to the side, the hammering of her heart soothed by the appearance of a groggy Mary rising from the ground with a hand to her head.

"…Here." Well, if a good amount of the meat was going to be offered to them, then who was Anne to disagree? Handing off the majority to Mary, a small habit formed by the two of them in the hopes that Mary would finally have the chance to grow even the smallest amount, the two pirates happily dug in. "…You are spirits. They are… uncommon around here."

"Thanks for the food! Huh, didn't expect to be outed as heroic spirits so easily. Seems like everyone's after us." Anne pouted a she leapt to her feet, a bright flash of light bringing her blunderbuss to her side; if anything was going to try and spate a heroic spirit from their weapon, they were going to have to try a little harder than throwing a couple of waves in their direction. "In all honesty, me and Mary were trying to get to China, but got a little bit distracted by our guests here. Can you tell us where 'here' is?"

"…Very close to China."

* * *

 **And that's it for today. It's the return of the rhyme! Don't know if it will be back as a common thing though. Hopefully I'm not making too much of a mockery of the Eight Immortals, but there's more to see and a threat yet to reveal itself. talking about revelations (though it's not as if people hadn't already guessed who they were:**

 _ **Unaffiliated**_

 _ **Anne Bonny and Mary Read - ?**_

 _Anne Bonny and Mary Read are female pirates who existed during the Golden Age of Piracy. Having met by chance, the two endeavored as pirates under the command of captain John Rackham. It has been said that Anne was an expert of the rifle, while Mary was in charge of raiding with a cutlass._ _The two have been exceptionally summoned as a single set Servant. There_ _are no penalties towards their status, but if one collapses the other will also become out-of-combat, no questions asked._

 _Anne was born in a prosperous household, she was a natural hooligan who eloped with a small-time punk. She would later separate from said punk and raise a pirate flag together with John Rackham._ _A certain day, the one she met upon capturing a ship from Holland was Mary Read, who had slipped into the ship as a man._

 _Thanks also to the fact they were both women, Anne and Mary got along well, forming a duo and devoting themselves to the piracy business._ _There are many testimonies that, among those in John Rackham's ship, these two fought with greater dauntless courage than anybody else._

 _They have no wish for the Holy Grail, but they still pursue the Grail itself. This might also be a trait as a pirate._ _Anne is friendly from the very beginning, and while Mary is hard to approach at first, she is the type of Servant that becomes more emotionally attached than anybody else upon opening her heart._

 _Having been summoned without a master, they rampage upon the seven seas, striking fear into any who would dare brave the waters. As they have no clue what might have brought them into this world save for the fact that they were summoned upon a beach, they spend their time as they would've done in their life - amassing as much treasure as humanely possible._

 ** _Team ?_**

 ** _Kato Danzo - Assassin_**

 _A thief, spy whose name can be seen in Kanazoushi, military sciences documents from the early Edo period -_ _In other words, a ninja._ _Known by the alias "Flying Katou" or "Kite Kato", while her activities in the Kai and Echigo Provinces have been reported, her origins and objectives are wrapped in mystery, with various theories existing about it._

 _There are legends about how Kato Danzo operated puppets, karakuri dolls, but those are legends derived from the fact that "Danzo herself was a doll" - so is the setting in this work._ _A ninja descended from the Fuuma, who was mostly active during the late Warring States period._ _However, her true identity is that of a karakuri doll manufactured by the sorcerer・Kashin Koji. A_ _n artificial female ninja (kunoichi) moulded with the cooperation of the first Fuuma Koutaro, and not a living human. However, as a result of accomplishing many duties and being talked about even in later literature, her existence was carved in human history as a Heroic Spirit._

 _A karakuri ninja of few emotions, quite mechanical. A_ _Karakuri girl._ _She did not possess free will in her lifetime, and was just a mechanical doll that abided by the orders inputted in her - or so she defined herself. But, upon being carved in human history as a Heroic Spirit and manifesting as a Servant, she began to consider that maybe she might be allowed to think - and have feelings - just like humans. She wants to do so, if allowed._

 _In life, she had not been able to make friends for she did not understand the concept of friendhsip - it held no use when it came to her duties as a ninja. However, the exceptional circumstances of her summoning in this time has resulted in extensive interaction with other servants and now, Kato Danzo questions what those strange emotions she feels inside. She can sometimes be found meditating on such thoughts._

 _"..." That is a transcript of the conversations between Brynhildr and Danzo. They are good friends._

 ** _Osakabehime - Caster_**

 _Osakabehime(Simply rendered Osakabe in the Konjakugazuzoku Hyakki) is a variant of Yokai deified as the patron god of Himeji. She is also famous as a Yokai who has currently settled down and taken residence in the keep of Himeji Castle._

 _At a glance, a black-haired prim and proper maiden, once the paint peels off, you're left with a gloomy, abject, predisposed trouble-despiser at heart._ _She can pull off a princessy act, but as her in-person conversation skills are remarkably low, she can only manage to play the cliche template._ _If one had to decide if she was scheming or not, then they would say she did her share, but at most, she's only a minor annoyance. The worst she's ever done is use a credit card without asking to make some online purchases._

 _When appearing before humans, she would take the shape of a woman of 17-18 in a multi-layered kimono, or a fierce demon of human proportions. She is known to have taken various forms._ _Plain as it is, she's a top ranker among Japan's apparitions. Osakabehime has even been called the true lord and master of Himeji Castle._ _Simply catching sight of her form places a curse on you, some say you might drop dead on the spot._ _Looking at it the other way, when she's separated from the castle, her power is considerably weakened._

 _In her Noble Phantasm, Lord Hachitendo of the White Egret Castle's Hundred Demons, Osakabehime manifests a miniature of Himeji Castle in a large-scale magecraft that acts in a similar way to a Reality Marble._ _Through its beauty and dignity recognized by all, it bestows mental unity and support to allies. If Osakabehime was just a little more attack-minded, the castle would likely have become something able to provide an immediate offensive, but because of her natural-born shut-in disposition, her castle is limited to being a defensive noble phantasm._

 _Under normal circumstances, a certain foxy housewife would hold a monopoly over fox theming, leaving Osakabehime to emphasise her bat motif, yet those restrictions do not apply here. While she does not completely do away with the bats, her true form is that of a fox who's lived over three hundred years, so... the sight of origami foxes is much more common._

 ** _Bibliography_**

 **The fun will never end - altered from _Adventures of Gumball - the puppets_**

 **Daniel the Dragon - altered from _the Dragon of Cairn - original_**

 **What little girls are like - _original_**

 **My Coy Darling - taken from _Now we are six hundred -_ _To Her Coy Doctor_**

 **A daughter and a legend - _original_**

 **prophecy of the author - _original_**

 **Time to die - Altered from _Deemo - Utopiosphere_**

 **Eagles can fly - altered from _Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)_**

 **Fight for your future (Originally France France Revolution) - altered from _Nyanyannya - Kakuen no philosophia_**

 **A strange man - altered from _Rupert Hine featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor - Who is the Doctor?_**

 **The basics of spell casting - _original_**

 **Mirror Mirror - _Original_**

 **The heart - _Original_**

 **Sleep, Baby, Sleep - _A lullaby_**

 **Lancer's Ballad - altered from _Ballad of Joan of Arc_**

 **The Laws of Gravity - altered from _a safety advert -ITV_**

 **Life's Brevity - altered from _Maureen Carey -_ _the brevity of life_**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	21. Chapter 21 - the night

**Exams are over! Now I just need to find out the results. The good news is, that means I can spend my new free time writing once more. I'm a little rusty right now, but hopefully I'll get back to a decent level with some time. Until then, please enjoy this chapter! Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Takumi: Zelda, it's time to construct a special weapon!_

 _Zelda: I'm famished, I could use a bite to eat. Do you have anything?_

 _Takumi: The fruit here is kind of nice... don't mind if I do!_

 _Zelda: Well, I suppose I must work before I eat!_

 _T + Z: The story begins! The hero has come!_

* * *

What do you do when you have a terrified serial killer?

Jack was, in general, rather apathetic to the scenarios around her. Apart from a few distinct times where her emotions were pretty easy to read and admittedly, they were becoming more common the longer than Jack was surrounded by their makeshift group, Jack typically didn't show much of a reaction to many things beyond the bare minimum.

It made sense. Formed from so many different spirits merged into a single body, all holding an intense hatred to the world that refused them life, it was only natural that their moral compass would be a little _skewed_ , to say the least. Showing little emotion was probably much better than having a bi polar murderer.

Yet as they continued to explore the islands, Jack showed more emotion than she ever had before, probably more than she had in her entire life.

Despite the reassuring presence of both Alice and Takumi by her side, Jack still held a look of absolute terror, as if Tieguai would pop up out of nowhere and attempt to exorcise her once more. Considering how the strange old man had seemingly appeared out of nowhere beforehand, that wasn't entirely an impossibility.

All that Takumi could do was continue to comfort the small Assassin, his hand never leaving hers ever since that accident had occurred. The island may not allow anything that could cause pain and they may not have come across anyone in their travels, but that didn't mean the Master was certain there was no danger to be found.

"It appears as if our travels must be cut short. Night is fast approaching." Lancer remarked as she looked to the darkened skies. Any further searching would be even more difficult than what they already had to deal with. "We also have not consumed anything since our arrival. I have no doubts that the humans among us must be starving."

"Do not worry about us. We have been trained to handle long periods of time without foo-!" Xenovia's reassurances didn't really mean much when her stomach rumbled the loudest, quickly followed by Irina as a bright blush appeared on both of their faces. "…Perhaps it would be best."

"It's not as if this island is lacking in food." Liangyu remarked with a chuckle, looking to the treetops.

Though they were hidden in the darkness, the glints of light that reflected off the jewels that populated the trees revealed the second bounty they bore upon their branches. Several different fruits, eternally frozen at their most perfect form, were just waiting to be picked and eaten, even if they had no right being grown on the same tree, or on a tree at all.

"Leave it me! I know how we can get them down!" Xuangzang said with a bright grin, Takumi backing away when he saw the Buddha crack her knuckles. "Just stand beneath where you can see fruit and leave it to me!"

While it was probably possible for them to pick the fruits normally, it would require a fair amount of effort and care to sort through the jewels and extract the fruits without causing any damage to them. With how the branches crossed and turned, as well as being rather thin, it didn't seem like the trees would support their weight if they climbed up after all.

Instead, Xuanzang went with a much simpler manner of removing the fruit – a single punch to one of the trees' trunks. That was all the Buddha needed in order to drop the fruit into the eagerly awaiting hands below, Alice giving a small gasp of wonder as she caught a fairly large amount from her lucky position.

"It still works!" the Buddhist monk cheered, placing a hand upon her bicep with a grin. "Sometimes I had to do something like this on my travels!"

But her enthusiasm faded when she realised that nobody was listening to her, Xuanzang blinking in confusion. Sure, they had their fruits in hand, but they wouldn't be so rude as to ignore her and start eating immediately right?

It would take a second to sink, but Xuanzang quickly realised her mistakes from the low sounds of pain and annoyance. If there had been enough force to dislodge the fruit, it made sense that it would also dislodge the rather large jewels that were also hanging from the branches.

Rubbing her cheek in embarrassment, Xuanzang tried her best not to be affected by the dark looks the Doctor and Xenovia were sending in her direction as they nursed the areas that had been hit by rogue jewels, Alice's eyes tearing up as a particularly heavy emerald decided to land squarely in the centre of her head.

"I never thought I would dislike expensive jewels like this…" Takumi muttered, shaking his head to get rid of the ringing. On the plus side, they at least got paid for the pain. "Well, at least we got the fruit. Might as well set up camp here for the night."

Luckily, after they set up camp with a fire and places to rest, they were free to enjoy the literal fruits of their labour. Takumi was the first to finish and with quite a wide selection to choose from, the master was left pondering before settling for a bunch of grapes, laying back against one of the trees and tenderly placing one into his mouth.

And for the librarian, the world changed.

Well, it didn't, but it sure felt like it. As soon as the tiny orb touched his tongue, Takumi felt a barrage of different flavours bursting into his mouth in perfect harmony, a variety of experiences that should not have been possible with but a simple grape. Every single possible taste bud was teased in the most delightful manner imaginable; even the aroma was something beyond belief.

"Ah, finally! I thought I was going to starve!" Irina sighed as she slumped down beside him, eagerly grabbing an orange and working to take off its peel. "I haven't been on a mission in a place like this in my life. Pretty landscapes, cool people, literal jewels growing from the trees – I can't wait to get back and tell everyone about this!"

"You will not remain long enough to do so!"

* * *

For all of Irina's eccentricities and oddities that made her stand out from her peers at the Vatican, there was no denying the fact that she was an incredibly skilled exorcist with all of the instincts that went along with such an upbringing. Therefore, when the sword came towards her, the orange she had been preparing was left skewered as the orange haired girl dodged away, her own blade slithering into her hands.

The man on the other side of the attack was a handsome figure, robed in some of the finest formal garbs China had and would ever see. With a stern expression on his chiselled features and a more than muscular stature, he was the perfect example of a military commander, expertly handling the sword in his hands against Irina.

At least, until it was ripped out of his grip by his partner.

Unlike the youthful handsomeness that the attacker held, his partner held a more aged appearance, his dress more suited for a scholar than a warrior. He didn't hold the sword with the same grace and effortlessness that the other did, yet it looked more at home in his grasp.

None of that was what worried Takumi. After all, the rest of the group had already prepared their offences and had already surrounded the pair, not that it did much to deter them. No, the part that had him eagerly rushing Jack behind his back was when he brought his nose to the air with a quick sniff.

" _Have fun! Oh, and if you happen to come across a particularly sweet scent… well, you're better of running for your life, at least while you still have that thing by your side."_

The scent in the air was sweeter than sugar.

"Guojiu, a little bit of courtesy is warranted. After all, it is rare that we get to see such a large number of fine women appear before us." The scholar remarked, a wizened smile betrayed by the clearly lecherous intent behind his eyes. It was strong enough to make every single girl present in the group take a step back. "Ah, what a harsh response… a shame we couldn't have met in better circumstances."

"Focus more on the invaders and less on the perversion Dongbin. If it hadn't been for me, then we would have an entire group of invaders who would've eaten the blessed fruit and taken our jewels!" Guojiu answered, blocking Jeanne's standard and kicking the holy maiden away, just in time to duck beneath the spear of Liangyu. "If it weren't for your blade, then I would've sent you the other way."

"Jack, do you think you can fill the area with your fog?" Takumi whispered, receiving a small nod from the Assassin.

" _ **The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis."**_

Despite how frightened she was, it didn't take more than second for her lantern to appear and release its horrific smog in the atmosphere. Such a beautiful untainted island had probably never experienced anything close to the horrors of Victorian England's pollution and while their own group was able to gather, the two islanders were left coughing momentarily.

Only momentarily however as Takumi's eyes widened only momentarily as the fog seemed to disappear almost as fast as it was being produced. So far, there had been nought that could budge it, most likely thanks to the magical energy infused throughout it. Here? Barely a minute passed by before it entirely disappeared and Jack's lantern faded away.

As the last vestiges were sucked up into a dazzling jade tablet held in Guojiu's hands, the master found himself lost for words, the two men looking more bemused than disadvantaged in any way. Brushing off the small amount of dust that had gathered upon the tablet, Guojiu stepped forward with a grin.

"Well, that was ultimately pointless." He muttered, returning the jade tablet to wherever he stored it as he held out a hand to the group, eyes pointedly looking towards Jack as he spoke. "Now, let us exorcise that horrid mass of spirits and leave this island, or face the consequences."

A small tut escaped Takumi; so, they were going to have to go through the same stuff all over again, were they?

A quick glance to his side showed the master that the others were ready to jump into action at any moment, but there was some who looked a little less than enthusiastic about fighting. Liangyu, Xuanzang and the Doctor were all hanging back for some reason. They still encompassed Jack, yet they made no moves to show they were going to attack, the Doctor merely giving Takumi a certain look – why?

And then it suddenly clicked.

"Protect Jack! Don't even bother fighting back, just make sure there's no way for Jack to be reached by that sword!" Takumi yelled, the Doctor's smile showing itself as a small sound of acknowledgement came from Dongbin. "Why didn't I realise it before?"

"…I'm afraid that whatever realisation you've had, I'm not on the same page." Xenovia muttered beneath her breath, hefting her blade into a combat ready stance. Even if they were going on the defensive, the sheer power of the holy swords Xenovia had trained with meant she never really developed a defensive style – offence was the best defence after all.

"Jeanne, how did that kick feel?" the question came out of nowhere, said holy maiden blinking in confusion before she placed a hand to her waist.

"I have sustained no injury. I can still fight to my fullest." Jeanne answered, her eyes narrowing in thought for a moment. "That attack was no simple strike though. I could feel the force behind it, yet it didn't actually cause any damage."

"And neither these two nor Tieguai have made any offensive move. Tieguai was defending himself from Liangyu when he was detected and the general-looking man, Guojiu? He was retaliating from Jeanne's attack." Takumi spoke, watching the grin on Dongbin's face grow by the second.

"Um, are we going to ignore the fact that he attacked _me_ first?" Irina muttered with a put, the librarian shaking his head.

"No, you've got that wrong. I don't think he did attack you." The response only caused more confusion to the two church girls, but Takumi wasn't to be swayed in his discovery. "There wouldn't be any point in attacking you recklessly. It's not like it would be able to do anything apart from give away their position when staying stealthy would've allowed them to execute one of their main aims – exorcising Jack – much easier. After all…"

" _There is no pain, there can't be; the mystic islands are areas where pain cannot exist. Therefore, it is impossible to heal her for there is nothing to be healed."_

"It's impossible for any attack to cause pain or injury! He was purposely aiming to get the fruit out of your hands!"

"Thank goodness, I'm glad we finally got that sorted out." The Doctor muttered, casually throwing his sonic screwdriver up and down with a yawn. "Well, now that we've got that over with, can we put away the swords and stuff? I'm pretty sure you two can tell we don't mean any harm now, and none of us have eaten your precious fruit."

A small bead of sweat ran down Takumi's face, but he hid his discomfort with little effort. Remarking on how he already had would only make getting these two to calm down that much more difficult. From the looks of it, Guojiu still looked perfectly ready to take off their heads, probably through some sort of mystic loophole that only the immortals would know about.

"You expect me to stand down when you have blatantly trespassed upon our island and brought such a horrific blight upon these lands!?" the general growled, his anger only becoming worse when he found Dongbin's hand upon his shoulders. Without the old man on his side to give Guojiu his sword, then the general had no weapon that could exorcise the Victorian spirits. "Dongbin, you cannot be serious…!"

"Look among their group Guojiu, or did I teach you nothing before you became an immortal?" the elderly man scolded, pointing to Xuanzang who responded with a small wave. "A Buddha stands by their side, an enlightened being. Surely you are not questioning their judgement? Besides, if they were truly here to cause issue, then they wouldn't be partnered with a being who is beyond sin, would they? Did I not tell you that it was likely an overreaction"

It was less of a question and more of a statement, one that completely deflated Guojiu with a sigh.

There was no denying that there was an inherent evil in Jack's existence; she was stained by the hatred of those who formed her and the horrific sins she committed while still alive. Yet the immortals could not deny that there was something, something intangible, which kept the evil restrained. So long as it remained that way… perhaps Guojiu could hold himself back, for now at least.

"Why do I get the feeling you only noticed her status as a Buddha because you were staring at her form?"

"Hahaha! You've got me there!"

"My apologies, both for my actions and for the lecherous man." Guojiu responded with a stiff bow. "I am Cao Guojiu, and this is Lu Dongbin. As the one most trained in combat, it is my responsibility to combat any threat that appears on this island and prevent its treasures from falling into unworthy hands. If a Buddha has seen fit to visit us, then it is surely for no mere attempt to indulge in greed. State your intentions."

"We have been tasked by the Jade Emperor to spread a warning, yet we have not found a good way of doing it. So far, we have only come across three of eight." Charles-Henri explained, begrudgingly putting away his sword. If it wasn't going to have any effect on anyone, there was no point in keeping it out, no matter how much he may still find the immortals suspicious. "You wouldn't happen to have a better way of doing it than merely walking around?"

"Unfortunately, we do not have such a method. Our ability to meet depends on a schedule and now that the warning has been spread that we are not to meet due to intruders, we are not to meet until it has been confirmed that the intruders have left." Dongbin explained, looking to the sky now filled with the most entrancing view of the stars. "There is only one who can signal such a confirmation and I have no idea where she lies. Until you come across her, then it will be near impossible to gather them together."

"So basically, our mission cannot proceed until we meet with one specific target." Xenovia muttered dourly.

That dour expression quickly changed into embarrassment at the sound of her stomach rumbling, not at all assisted by the elderly scholar's raucous laughter. Luckily, whatever anger she might've felt towards the man was immediately wiped away as he brought forth bowls and cups, a quick snap of Dongbin's fingers filling them up to the brim with rice and the finest wines.

"Well, consider this my apology for my idiot student!" Dongbin cheerfully declared, making a clear point to ignore the annoyance that emanated from said student. "You were looking for something to sate your hunger right? Well, you'll find no better place than here! Just… I would advise you keep away from the fruit. Not everyone can handle the downsides of immortality and eternal youth."

* * *

"Ah, I almost forgot about the powers of the fruit!" Xuanzang laughed around her food, a manner that didn't exactly fit the elegant refined manner you would expect a Buddha to have. Then again, there had been a fair amount of wine flying about and Buddhism didn't classify drinking itself as an issue. "Eternal youth and heightened regeneration, right? But, it wouldn't be much of an issue for Heroic Spirits; from what I'm aware, so long as they get enough power from the one who summoned them, they don't age and have heightened healing anyway. You stopped Irina from eating, so we're all good!"

It was good Takumi was separate from the others, or the nervousness that was welling in his stomach would've been noticed immediately. Fortunately, the clear discomfort that jack still felt in the proximity of Dongbin's sword gave the librarian the perfect excuse to keep the assassin and himself away, Alice deciding to firmly stay by their side.

Takumi should've realised that there would be something special about the fruit; they grew on the same trees that managed to create _jewels_ of all things.

He couldn't blame it on anyone - It wasn't as if Liangyu or Xuanzang needed to care about that kind of thing anyway. The brunette Buddha explained it herself: the majority of his group already experienced the effects that the fruit gave and having already moved on to Tian, Xuanzang and Liangyu were in the same boat. With that many people unaffected, it wasn't unreasonable that Xuanzang would consider it unnecessary to worry about eating the fruit and forgot about it.

"Eternal youth and heightened regeneration…" it didn't seem possible with such a tiny fruit. Perhaps because he ate only a single grape from a bunch, the effects wouldn't be as strong as 'eternal'. If there was one thing he didn't need when his life was going crazy, it was having _that_ added in. How would he explain it to anyone who visited the library?

Oh wait, he might not need to. After all, he was affiliated with literal Heaven at this point. Once he reached a stage in his life where he should not be living, let alone look as young as he did now, he could just ask to take residence in Heaven – passing on to the next life in a way that no one else would ever be able to comprehend, let alone experience. Takumi was already used to hanging around the spirits of heroes who were either meant to be dead or not exist.

Takumi's tired laughter caused the others to turn towards where he was sat, only to see the librarian taking a long draw from his cup, hoping to empty it in a single go. Considering that the cup was especially enchanted to constantly refill itself to prevent such a scenario from occurring, Takumi just had to settle for drinking until he needed to breathe once more.

"Sorry, sorry. Just thinking about what it would be like to be immortal like the people on this island. I can barely wrap my head around the idea." Takumi was quick to reassure. Yeah, that sounded reasonable enough as an excuse.

"Oh, after the first couple of millennia, you start to get used to it!" Dongbin cheerfully declared, slamming his cup down onto the ground. That… wasn't what he had implied before. Then again, at that point, the man hadn't downed what must've been the equivalent of five entire casks of alcohol; he was far beyond drunk off his arse ten times over. "Guojiu, you were lucky enough that you became an immortal way after me; I was one of the first and sitting alone with no one to talk to? It can drive a man mad! Luckily, I came across you on one of my adventures and you became my disciple. Would've gone crazy without giving my mind something to do!"

"Every time a cup reaches your lips, you become crazy." Guojiu sighed, turning to look each and every girl in the eye. "When he's like this, I would advise against becoming too close to him. His hands… they have a tendency to wander."

"Oi! What are you telling them that for!?"

"Because it's true you letch! How can you be such a venerable scholar and become something like this when you're drunk!?"

"It is a scene I've seen all too often. When one's surrounded by bloodshed and politics, many will escape to the bottle." Charles-Henri remarked. "The people were starved of the luxuries like alcohol, so when people managed to get their hands on so much from the monarchy, they attacked it like thirsty animals."

With the others distracted by conversation and hijinks once more, Takumi let himself fall back against the trees, another yawn escaping the master as he felt his eyes droop. With a full stomach and nearly half of their first objective finished, the temptation of sleep was far too great for Takumi to ignore even with his worries. If there were going to be any bad effects, then it was wiser to mull them over with a fully functioning mind.

Just before he entered his dreams, he felt a pair of small bodies move up beside him, Takumi's arms moving around them of their own accord. For simply resting against a tree, the master couldn't imagine a scenario more comfortable, a wistful sigh escaping his lips. Maybe his fears were mistaken.

To the very end, he didn't notice the tiny shadow that flitted in the air above him, returning from whence it came.

* * *

Osakabehime shivered, huddling as close to the fire as she possibly could without setting herself alight. For all of the horrible things that their master had ordered and planned, he at least managed to keep their base warm for the night. Even if she didn't want to return, a campfire just wasn't the same as a heated kotatsu.

Her companions didn't have the same reservations however, too busy gorging themselves on meat and endless drink from a shared mug. Osakabehime wasn't exactly sure where their host had managed to source the food and drink, but Anne and Mary weren't exactly going to question the opportunity to have an all-you-can-eat feast for free. With Danzo not requiring sustenance and Osakabehime only taking a small amount, the majority of the food went into the mouths of the pirates.

Speaking of their host, the young girl was sitting off to the side, keeping a careful eye on her guests while tending to a beautiful array of flowers. Osakabehime had never seen anything so enchanting in her life, her host treating each and every one of them as if they were a precious fragile gem.

"Mary, isn't this place the best?" Anne sighed, her movements somewhat sloppy as she passed the mug over to the white haired girl. "Treasures literally growing on the trees and all of the grub you can imagine! It's practically a pirate's paradise!"

"Pretty much! Ah, I don't want to leave…" Mary responded, sinking down beside her partner.

It wasn't entirely true; being pirates was in their blood. That meant always continuing out into the ocean for more adventure, even more treasures. Settling down was just not in the pirate code, unless it was because you were buried. Even if the island held the greatest amount of treasures they would ever see for the rest of the time alive as Heroic Spirits, it would never be enough to satisfy that lust for adventure.

"…Don't take the jewels. Guojiu will get mad." A gentle voice warned, the young girl looking up momentarily from her flower-tending. Though it was only small, Osakabehime could swear a small shiver ran down the young girl's back as she pulled her hood closer to her face. "May try to lecture you."

"Oh? A shame. I haven't seen anything like these things…" Anne lamented, gently running her hand along one particularly low hanging jewel, an emerald that shone in the moonlight. Even just one for them would make an excellent addition to their treasure horde and with so many of them waiting to be plucked, it would've been an amazing catch. "Still, I suppose no other pirates will have this kind of luck. Take what you can and savour it I suppose."

The sound of a sword slashing through wood startled Osakabehime out of her observation, immediately turning behind her to watch the wood chips fall upon her person. Awkwardly spluttering as she brushed off the pieces, the Caster Servant turned angrily to where Danzo was cautiously scanning the area.

"What was that for!?" Osakabehime cried out, only to receive no response.

Danzo was too busy preparing herself, the ninja's eyes falling shut as she tried to absorb as much of the atmosphere as possible. For the briefest of moments, she looked completely frozen in time before amber eyes suddenly shot open, the Assassin sending out a series of slashes in seemingly random directions. Osakabehime jumped behind a rapidly damaged tree – better the wood than herself.

"There's a presence trying to conceal itself. A potential threat." Was all the Assassin said before she continued her assault on an unseen opponent, clearly catching the attention of the other Servants. "It has been spying on us…"

"Ah, I see. We've got a little peeping tom have we?" Anne questioned as she held out her hand, her blunderbuss soon sitting within her hands. "We're no stranger to having a few rude visitors when we're vulnerable, I'm sure we could help out."

"…There." Mary replied, the thunderous echo of a shot crying out barely even a second later; if it had been any faster, the two pirates would've had to share a psychic connection.

A small tut escaped Anne as she looked down her firing line, nothing to show for her attack save for a few frightened birds. Mary was astonishingly good when it came to reactions and intuition. It was why when the pair were out at sea, the white haired Heroic Spirit took place at the wheel; more than a few incidents, whether it be enemy ships or unseen obstacles, had been avoided thanks to Mary's intuition.

The Servants all had to narrow their eyes as they saw the birds begin circling in the air above; after coming so close to being shot, that was most certainly not what you could consider normal behaviour. The same could be said about how one bird decided the best direction was to shoot directly towards them, landing right in the centre of their host's flowers without a single care in the world.

The young girl merely met the bird's eyes, neither blinking for a good while before the bird began going through what could only be described as some sort of nonsensical dance. None of the others had ever witnessed anything like it, yet all the young girl did was give a small nod before gathering the bird into her arms and throwing it to the sky, allowing it to join its brethren in the air. Watching them disperse with an unreadable face, the girl turned when she heard Danzo speak.

"The signature has gone… those birds have a level of power inappropriate for their species." The Assassin muttered, watching as the creatures flew off into the night sky. Her first immediate reaction was to prepare for further assessment, but they had already proven themselves to be harmless… for now. "Is this a characteristic associated with this island?"

"…Not all. Just few." The young girl replied, carefully checking over her flowers. The bird's gestures had messed them up and now it fell to her to fix them again. Hmph. "…they came to send a message. Probably a shared message for everyone."

"Oh? And what did the bird say?" Osakabehime asked, perking up slightly. Now that there wasn't a chance of there being a threat to them, the Caster's innate interest in animals began to pop up. "I've never seen animals communicate in that kind of way. I wonder how long it took to train that kind of behaviour."

Osakabehime's experience with non-artificial animals was rather limited despite how much interest she took in animals. After all, she rarely left Himeji Castle and within the confines of the building, any interaction at all was rare. It was part of why her messengers took on the forms of various creatures – it was the closest approximation she could get to the real thing to keep her company. In a time before the advent of technology, for a person who hated human interaction, they were essentially the only socialisation she had.

"…It is a message for me. You do not need bother yourself." The young girl dismissed after a moment of thought, looking once more to the sky.

They were spoken softly, but there was no denying the threat held behind. A young girl's appearance she might've held, but it didn't take much to feel the power that resonated within the Heroic Spirits' host. Though they hadn't given her any reason to demonstrate it yet, Osakabehime wasn't exactly willing to push any further and see just what the young girl could do.

Said young girl gave a small wave of her hand, the smallest of specks flying from her palm and into the ground. In a second, where once there had been nothing, a sudden wave of flowers began to blossom at an incredible rate, several different rectangular fields forming out of the plants. A single inhale was all you needed to tell they were quite possibly the greatest flowers one would ever come across, their scent incredibly sweet and entrancing.

"…You all should get some rest. If you do not have any method of travel, then you will come with me in the morning." The young girl declared, curling up on top of the flowers without hesitation and almost immediately falling asleep, a rather strange action considering that she had been so careful about ensuring the flowers were undamaged mere moments before.

"Well. Not as if we have any other choice with our ship ruined." Anne replied, letting her blunderbuss disappear as she fell back against her own small patch of flowers, Mary quickly joining her side. "Never slept on flowers though. Can't say they're uncomfortable though; we've slept in some pretty rubbish places and with everything else this place has, I'm not going to complain."

It made sense in Osakabehime's mind considering they had taken someone else's ship. While it was stereotypical for Rider class servants to have Noble Phantasms that allowed them to summon whatever vessel was linked to their famous stories, it wasn't a necessity. That was partially why riding was a class skill in the first place; what point would there be to a Rider if they had no vessel as a Noble Phantasm and they couldn't ride other transport? In the tales of Anne Bonny and Mary read, the ship they sailed on didn't belong to them, they didn't captain it and the crew was only known for cowering while the two fought.

"I shall keep watch in case anything returns. I do not require sleep." Danzo replied, moving towards the edge of the water and planting herself firmly as her eyes closed.

Being an artificial creation, the shinobi would be able to keep a constant search for any energy signatures in the area without tiring at all, even while doing actions seemingly completely unrelated. That was why Osakabehime didn't show any concern when the shinobi gently ran her hand in the water in a surprisingly relaxed manner for Danzo; all she would need is a second before her blades were out and she was ready to fight.

The Caster instead decided to snuggle into the flowers, a low content sigh escaping her lips. Maybe she didn't have the warmth that a kotatsu could supply, but she would be lying if she said that the flowers she was sleeping on weren't soft and comforting. Combined with the scent that was wafting into her nose and it took all of her effort not to immediately succumb to the world of dreams.

The only thing that kept her up were the worries that were beginning to well in the lower parts of her stomach. The pirate servants, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, they weren't _completely_ against assisting Danzo and her, but they also didn't want to risk the chance of dying again when they were able to experience so much without a direct Master. Maybe coming into contact with this island was actually going to make convincing them even harder.

Still, part one of the plan was in motion. So long as she and Danzo stuck around the pirates, then they could slowly begin to form a proper relationship – it wasn't as if they could go anywhere until they could get some sort of vessel. Wear down their defences and maybe they would be more willing to grant their assistance.

Plus, there were the people who inhabited this island as well. It was clear that there were more than just their host if the bird's message meant anything. That meant with every person they came across, it was another chance to bolster their chances against their master.

Osakabehime felt a small shiver run down her back. As far away as they were, the link between her and her Master, formed through the contract that bound her as a Servant, was weakened by a fair amount. Without the independent action skill, there was no way she could function without as much of her Master's magical energy coming to her and if there was any inclination she and Danzo were going against their will, he could sever their contract at any moment. The Caster didn't know about Danzo, but if that were to happen, Osakabehime would be gone instantly.

Fortunately, their Master was at least somewhat logical despite his many strange and odd ramblings. They would have a fair leeway period before anything started to seem suspicious and so long as she continued on a reasonable pace, they might not even cause any suspicion.

Before sleep took her over, Osakabehime gave a small laugh.

Yeah, like it would be that easy.

* * *

 **And that will be it for now! Soon, everyone will meet and a grand spectacle will occur. Please look forward to that when the chapter comes out! One shouldn't forget the reason why our group has come to this island, for that will begin to play a much larger role in the coming chapters in a special way - what does that mean? Once more, look forward to the next chapter!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


End file.
